University of Oxford

3

Padraig Dixon

OFHS240243

People respond differently to medicines, partly because of common genetic changes that affect how medicines work. This field of study is called 'pharmacogenetics.' Our research will study data from the Our Future Health (OFH) study to understand how it can be used for pharmacogenetic research. We will analyze the OFH questionnaire to find out which medicines, like cholesterol-lowering drugs, antidepressants, and pain relievers, people have reported using. We’ll also look at personal factors such as age, gender, lifestyle, and medical conditions related to these medicines. We will compare the OFH group with the general UK population. Additionally, we will examine genetic data to identify the presence of any genetic changes that affect how well medicines work and how safe they are. Our main questions are: 1. How many people in OFH study group have taken medications particularly known to be influenced by genetics? 2. What are the characteristics of patients taking these medications? 3. What medical conditions are reported by patients taking pharmacogenetic medications? 4. How does the data from questions 1, 2 and 3 compare with the general UK population? 5. How many people may be taking medicines that don’t work well for them because of their genetics? Medications are the most common form of treatment in healthcare, with half of UK adults receiving prescriptions each year. Up to 99% of patients prescribed a medicine in the NHS may have genetic changes that make some drugs less safe or effective. One promising area of research is to use an individual's genetic information to guide GPs and others in choosing which medicines to prescribe to their patients and what dose to prescribe. Genetic testing is becoming more affordable for the NHS, and there are currently clinical trials running to determine how to best put these tests into practice. However, the scale of potential benefit—encompassing the number and identity of patients as well as the specific drug-gene pairs involved—remains uncertain. Data in OFH has tremendous potential to identify the number of patients who could benefit from this type of genetic testing and who should be prioritised for this type of testing. This research will undertake the first steps to describe the strengths and limitations of participant self-reported data with respect to medication use, patient characteristics, and medical conditions to lay the groundwork for future pharmacogenetic studies.

About 25% of new prescriptions in the UK could be safer or work better with genetic testing. However, it’s still unclear how to introduce this testing effectively in the NHS. Questions remain about who should be tested, when to do it, and how to use the results in patient health records. This research will explore how pharmacogenetic testing could improve prescribing practices. Genetic testing could also help prevent harmful drug reactions and side effects, which cause 6.5% to 15% of hospital admissions. Side effects can also stop patients from getting the treatment they need. Pharmacogenetic testing could therefore make treatment safer and more effective. The NHS wants everyone to have equal access to genetic testing. However, ethnic minority groups have been underrepresented in genetic research. Since genetic differences can affect how medicines work, genetic testing to improve prescribing could help reduce health inequalities by ensuring better treatment for people from diverse backgrounds. This research will study ethnic diversity within the Our Future Health (OFH) group to ensure future pharmacogenetic studies benefit everyone.

Public Health Research

15/03/2025

15/02/2025

TRE