From staff reports

On Monday, NBC News featured a new genetics test at Avera Health that’s designed to better match patients with prescriptions.

The national news story featured a Sioux Falls woman battling depression who tried 23 combinations of depression medication before a genetic test revealed she processed the prescription differently than most patients.

“Once the genetic testing became available, it provided Sarah with more than just physical relief,” Dr. Matthew Stanley of Avera Medical Group said in the story. “It gave us an answer — that this was her physiology and her genetics and not something in her head.”

The Avera Institute for Human Genetics is among several institutions nationwide exploring pharmacogenomics, which looks at how genetic factors influence the effectiveness of medications, the story reported.

Avera recently announced Genefolio as a program for patients. It uses a blood test to determine which pain medications, heart and cholesterol medications, and psychotropic, or behavioral health, drugs might work best based on genetic factors.

To see the NBC story, click here.

Avera rolls out new genetic test to personalize medication plans