A genetic test to help determine the efficacy of psychiatric medications for several diagnoses is under development by Cincinnati Ohio-based Assurex Health. Using a DNA analysis on a cheek swab sample, Assurex’s tests analyze a panel of genes in the cytochrome P450 family that are involved in drug metabolism. This information is then used to create a report that optimizes drugs for that diagnosis using a red/yellow/green code. Under development for seven years, the pharmacogenetic testing analyzes drugs for depression, anxiety, ADHD, chronic pain, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Assurex has also published a series of clinical trials conducted with the Mayo Clinic. It seems obvious that assessment beats the usual patient trial-and-error, but like most startups in the healthcare field, they are still trying to figure out the major reimbursement questions–who pays and how much. And somewhere there’s a digital health spin to this….MedCityNews