By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    The Latest Numbers on Exchange Enrollment
    January 20, 2014
    conversational AI in healthcare
    How Conversational AI is Making Healthcare More Patient-Centric
    July 24, 2024
    create tracking metrics HIS
    Create Tracking Metrics for ICD-10 Preparation
    February 18, 2014
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Genes May Reduce Guesswork for ADHD, Depression Treatments
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Genes May Reduce Guesswork for ADHD, Depression Treatments
BusinessDiagnosticsFinance

Genes May Reduce Guesswork for ADHD, Depression Treatments

Deanna Pogorelc
Deanna Pogorelc
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

adhd and depression treatmentsFirst published on MedCityNews.com. Celexa. Zoloft. Prozac. Lexapro. Cymbalta. The list of FDA-approved drugs to treat depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders goes on and on.

adhd and depression treatmentsFirst published on MedCityNews.com. Celexa. Zoloft. Prozac. Lexapro. Cymbalta. The list of FDA-approved drugs to treat depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders goes on and on.

Finding the right one, or ones, for a patient is often a matter of guesswork, said James Burns, CEO of personalized medicine company Assurex Health (formerly AssureRx).

“It’s usually ‘start low and go slow,’” he explained to healthcare industry leaders at BioOhio’s annual conference in Columbus on Tuesday. “So a very low dose of an anti-depressant would be prescribed to the patient, and then you titrate the patient up to a level where he either responds, you see no response or you see an adverse reaction.”

More Read

Why Pilot Programs are a Waste of Time and Money
Health Wonk Review: Spring Forward Edition
Bill McGuire on Wireless Health and Technology
Choosing Well: Patient Challenges in Choosing a Physician in a Rapidly Changing World
Medical Device DTC Marketing: Digital Co-Marketing and the Power of the Referral (Part 3 of 4)

The Cincinnati-based company has spent the last seven years working on a way to potentially shorten the trial-and-error process of finding which medications — many of which carry black-box warnings — work best in patients.

Using a DNA sample collected from a patient’s cheek swab, Assurex’s tests analyze a panel of genes in the cytochrome P450 family that are involved in the metabolism of chemicals, including drugs, in the body.

“We have taken a very precise genetic understanding of how patients either metabolize or respond to medications […] to help clinicians select medications for people,” Burns said. It turns the complex results of the genetic tests into a report for a physician that color-codes medications red, yellow and green.

Currently its test portfolio covers common drug options for patients with depression, anxiety, ADHD, chronic pain, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In the future, the company looks to address convulsive disorders including epilepsy, he added.

The road to commercialization hasn’t been easy for Assurex. Started in 2006 with intellectual property from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and later technology from Mayo Clinic, the company went through what Burns called a “quiet period” until sometime around 2008.

Supported early on by funding from several Ohio angel groups, the company finally landed its first institutional money in 2011 with an $11 million Series B led by Sequoia Capital and Claremont Creek Ventures. That was followed in 2012 by a $12.5 million round that added Four Rivers Group, jVen Capital and Alafi Capital as investors.

But there’s still work to do. Pharmacogenetic testing is expensive, and many insurance plans still don’t cover it, at least for neuropsychiatric disorders. The company has conducted and published a series of clinical trials with Mayo Clinic in an attempt to show the technology’s effectiveness, likely hoping to gain broader acceptance and reimbursement. It’s also recently appointed a chief financial officer and a vice president of payer markets and reimbursement to its leadership team to address the “who’s going to pay?” question.

After “does it work?” the payment question is an all-important one. As the biomedical CEO who followed Burns’ presentation unwittingly pointed out, the answer can ultimately mean life or death for a company.

TAGGED:Assurex Healthmental health
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025

You Might also Like

symptoms and treatments for harm OCD
News

Could You Be Suffering From Harm OCD?

August 15, 2022

Heart Attacks & Hospitalization in CA

June 16, 2011

What If Shared Decision Making Costs More?

May 30, 2013
mental health
Specialties

Insomnia: Fears and Treatment – Part I

March 18, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?