Personalized Medicine to support healthier lives

July 2022

When someone has a mental health condition such as anxiety and depression, chronic pain, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or a neurological condition, finding the right medication can be tough. Sometimes it’s a process of trial-and-error, and it may even involve unwelcome side effects.

Genetics play a big role in how a person responds to drugs.  But now, medicine has gotten more personalized and treatment more precise.  A company's group benefits plan can help.

Personalized Medicine is about understanding how genetics can affect a person's response to medication. And it can be included in your company's group benefits plan with Manulife Canada.

If someone is about to start or is currently using drugs to treat a mental health condition, chronic pain, ADHD, or a neurological condition, Personalized Medicine could help their doctor prescribe the best drug for them.

The Personalized Medicine program provides access to a pharmacogenetic test, which helps to identify how a person may respond to medications.

The test results are only provided to the individual, Personalized Prescribing Inc., the Canadian company that runs the test, and anyone else the individual gives consent to share it with, such as their doctor.

To do the test, a small saliva sample must be submitted. A pharmacist from Personalized Prescribing Inc. will look at the person's genetics in the sample and create a report for them and their doctor – should they consent to share the results with the doctor.

The report shows which drugs are more likely to help and which may have side effects. It may also recommend changes to the person's medication. Their doctor can use these results to help prescribe the right drug at the right dose.

An individual's DNA contains the blueprint for all the proteins in their body, including enzymes. Enzymes are very important in how a person’s body reacts to medicine.

The activity level of these enzymes varies from one person to the next.  This is one of the main reasons why a drug may work well for one person but have significant side effects for another.

By understanding a person's genetics, the program aims to determine how compatible an individual's body may be to a particular drug. 

Personalized Medicine can help people get the right medication earlier and get back to living a healthier life sooner.

Medication can help with mental health issues and chronic pain. But some of these medications can cause adverse side effects. Others aren’t very effective for some people. Genetic differences can play a big role. 

There are an estimated 200,000 severe adverse drug reactions in Canada each year, though it is estimated that 95% of adverse drug reactions are not reported. Each year, they cost the Canadian healthcare system between $13.7 and $17.7 billion and kill up to 22,000 Canadians¹.

Over the past 2 years, Manulife ran a Personalized Medicine pilot program.  After getting the results, 44% of people in the program changed their medication or dosage². These changes led to better health outcomes.

The test may be covered for an individual and their family under their Manulife group benefits plan. But there are a few rules for coverage, and not all plans cover the test.

¹ Adverse drug reaction Canada, May 2020.

² Manulife pharmacogenetics pilot program – 2018-2020

The test is only covered for certain conditions:

• A mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety
• Chronic pain
• Neurological conditions
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• Starting a new medication
• Taking a medication that isn’t working
• Taking a medication that’s causing side effects

Tests may be ordered from Manulife.  Individuals are advised to contact their doctor before ordering the test.

Personalized Prescribing Inc. will have one of their pharmacists get in contact with the individual.  The pharmacist will:

• Help the individual fill out the consent form
• Ask the individual about any relevant health history
• Answer any questions the individual may have

Within about 2 days, the test will arrive in the mail by courier.   The test has instructions on what to do and how to send it back.

It takes about 7 days to get the results. Results will be available through Personalized Prescribing's online portal.

Results are only provided to the individual, Personalized Prescribing Inc., and anyone else the individual gives consent to share it with, such as their doctor. 

Without consent, Personalized Prescribing Inc. won’t share a person's individual results with anyone else. 

So, neither the employer nor Manulife will see the results.  Taking part in this program is voluntary.  It won’t affect the individual's current or future claims with Manulife.

A Personalized Prescribing Inc. pharmacist can meet with the individual and their doctor or specialist to talk about the results of the test and treatment.

If the individual changed medications because of their test results, and they share this with their Personalized Prescribing pharmacist, the pharmacist will reach out to them to ask how they're feeling and if they have any side effects.

The test result may show that a change in a person's medication (dose or type of drug) could be suitable. So, individuals are strongly encouraged to share their results with their doctor.  But they aren’t obligated to. 

The individual's version of the report won’t have any specific recommendations for changing drugs.  These will only appear in the healthcare provider’s version. Only a doctor or pharmacist should make decisions related to changing medication.