Prevalence and types of inconsistencies in clinical pharmacogenetic recommendations among major U.S. sources

Abstract

Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics (PGx) is slow. Previous studies have identified some inconsistencies among clinical PGx recommendations, but the prevalence and types of inconsistencies have not been comprehensively analyzed among major PGx guidance sources in the U.S. PGx recommendations from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium, U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug labels, and major U.S. professional medical organizations were analyzed through May 24, 2019. Inconsistencies were analyzed within the following elements: recommendation category; whether routine screening was recommended; and the specific biomarkers, variants, and patient groups involved. We identified 606 total clinical PGx recommendations, which contained 267 unique drugs. Composite inconsistencies occurred in 48.1% of clinical PGx recommendations overall, and in 93.3% of recommendations from three sources. Inconsistencies occurred in the recommendation category (29.8%), the patient group (35.4%), and routine screening (15.2%). In conclusion, almost one-half of clinical PGx recommendations from prominent U.S. guidance sources contain inconsistencies, which can potentially slow clinical implementation.