An estimated 600,000 Greeks experience symptoms depression, with several thousand of them suffering from serious consequences of the disease. Medicines are an important weapon in her hands. medical communitybut the drugs administered are not equally effective for every patient.

Recently, by a joint ministerial decision, another saliva test was added to the list of genetic tests reimbursed by EOPYY, which can provide the attending physician with the knowledge at the genetic level necessary to select the most appropriate medication for each patient with depression.

The iDNA PGx CNS pharmacogenetic test, a product of research and development by Greek scientists, analyzes the interaction of each patient’s genes with 30 major drugs of the central nervous system and is an important tool in the hands of a medical specialist in his work. specifically for the treatment of resistant depression.

It is noted that the iDNA PGx CNS test is already widely used by the medical community and more than 3,000 patients have already been cured of their condition. With the approval of the iDNA PGx CNS prescription, it is expected to significantly help find effective treatment for mental illness and improve quality of life, especially for patients with resistant depression. Also, the possibility of suicide due to severe depression should not be overlooked. It is estimated that in five years there will be 638 fewer deaths due to patient suicide due to finding an effective treatment using this pharmacogenetic test.

According to a joint ministerial decision signed by Deputy Minister of Finance Theodoros Skilakakis, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Panagiotis Tsakloglu and Deputy Minister of Health Mina Gaga shortly after the end of his term, “the in vitro diagnostic prescription of the pharmacogenetics product iDNA PGx has been approved by the CNS for the treatment of very resistant depression exclusively by psychiatrists, once and strictly after the failure to respond to at least 2 courses of antidepressant treatment, at a recommended price of 90 euros. The compensation for the foregoing is determined by EOPYY.”

As can be deduced from the above, the cost of the examination will be reimbursed at the request of the attending physician in EOPYY, so that the patient is not burdened with the cost of 90 euros.

Rapid rise in cases of depression

It is worth noting that in the context of the 31st Panhellenic Congress of Psychiatry organized by the Hellenic Psychiatric Association (EPSE) in Rhodes on May 25-28, 2023, according to the World Health Organization, by 2030) will be the leading cause of morbidity worldwide. Today, 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, while in Greece it is estimated that more than 600,000 of our fellow citizens suffer.

Despite the abundance of antidepressants, 1/3 of patients do not respond to initial treatment, side effects are common, resulting from consistent drug trials. This is because each person’s genes metabolize each drug differently.

Thus, today, with a simple pharmacogenetic test, it is possible to achieve faster remission of symptoms and reduce the side effects of treatment, and this is what increases adherence to the proposed treatment and effectiveness in relation to remission. symptoms. In particular, for patients with treatment-resistant depression, the need for genetically driven selection of pharmaceuticals is of paramount importance, with a positive impact on the evolution of the health of the patient himself, his environment and the healthcare system.