Articles

In this 2018 Benefits and Pensions Monitor article, Pillcheck CEO Veronika Litinski explains why pharmacogenetic testing belongs in benefit plans, how privacy by design protects plan members, and how a test and pharmacist review can help an injured...

In this 2017 Benefits Quarterly article, Antoine Lefaivre, Veronika Litinski and Maria Vandenhurk describe how pharmacogenetic testing with a pharmacist review can help health plans, disability managers and plan members, with results from a community pharmacy pilot, a...

Following a randomized trial in which Pillcheck-guided pharmacist care improved depression, anxiety and disability about twice as much as standard care, Pillcheck launched a program that gives benefit plans and advisors access to its pharmacogenetic medication management service,...

In this 2021 Benefits and Pensions Monitor article, Veronika Litinski explains how COVID sped up change in health benefits and how pharmacogenetic testing with pharmacist review can help plan members, especially those with mental health claims. Read the...

Diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to employee experience and organizational success. In this guest post, CloudAdvisors, Canada's employee benefits marketplace, shares 7 ways employers can take action. Pillcheck explains how pharmacogenetic testing and telepharmacy make benefits plans...

Chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or capecitabine is a mainstay of advanced colon cancer treatment, but people with DPYD gene variants can have severe toxicity. Learn when DPYD and UGT1A1 testing should be done.

Medications for rheumatoid arthritis and gout control pain and slow joint damage, but long-term use carries risks. Learn the main side effects of methotrexate, biologics, JAK inhibitors, NSAIDs and allopurinol, and how TPMT, NUDT15, SLCO1B1, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and...

Finding a seizure medication that works without side effects can take time. Learn how CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and other genes affect phenytoin, clobazam, brivaracetam and other anti-seizure medications, which drug interactions matter, what HLA tests can and cannot tell...

Why does Tylenol 3 work well for some people, fail for others and cause serious side effects in a few? Learn how your CYP2D6 genes change the way codeine works and which pain relief options are safer.

Tecta (pantoprazole) and other PPIs are safe for most people, but they can cause side effects. Learn which side effects are common, which long-term risks are proven, how to lower your risk, and how genes play a role.

Is your reaction to a medication an allergy or an intolerance? Learn how the immune system, drug metabolism genes, drug interactions and inactive ingredients cause different reactions, and how genetic testing can help.

If your cancer treatment includes surgery, preparation matters. Learn how anesthesia, pain and nausea management affect recovery, how genes such as CYP2D6 and CYP2B6 influence your response to anesthetics and opioids, and how testing helps.

A 2023 breach at a consumer genetics company exposed information on almost 7 million people, including about 320,000 Canadians. Learn why genetic data needs special protection, what Canadian law says, what to ask a testing company, how Pillcheck...

If you or a parent is prescribed an antidepressant later in life, it's important to understand the risks. Learn how some antidepressants may affect dementia risk in older adults and how CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 testing helps.

Are your medications not working, or causing side effects? Your genes may be part of the reason. Learn five ways Pillcheck pharmacogenetic testing and a pharmacist review help your prescriber choose medications and doses, what research shows, and...

Depression and many antidepressants can both cause erectile dysfunction (ED), and many men avoid treatment because of it. Learn which antidepressants have fewer sexual side effects, how ED medications can help, which drug combinations to avoid, and how...

Erectile dysfunction is common with heart disease and can be an early warning sign. Learn which heart medications affect ED, when ED drugs are safe, why nitrates must never be combined with them, and how genes matter.

People with high blood pressure are at higher risk of COVID-19 complications. Learn how ACE2 receptors link blood pressure medications and the coronavirus, why you should not stop your medication, and how genes affect blood pressure drugs.

Endometriosis and uterine fibroids can cause severe pain and heavy bleeding. Learn how pain relievers, hormonal treatments and elagolix (Orilissa) work, what limits elagolix use, which medications interact with it, and how genes affect elagolix, birth control and...

Tamoxifen greatly lowers the risk of breast cancer coming back, but side effects lead many women to stop early. Learn how CYP2D6 genes and drug interactions affect tamoxifen, which antidepressants to avoid, and what options you have.