PRODUCT INFORMATION


Pillcheck covers over 70% of prescription drugs routinely used to treat a wide range of medical conditions. Because a person’s genetics don’t change over time, Pillcheck can be referenced throughout life, whenever new medications are considered. Below are the number of drugs reported by area of treatment.

Treatment Area # Drugs
Analgesics 25
Antibacterials 3
Antiemetics 8
Antifungals 4
Antivirals 8
Cardiovascular 46
Dermatology and Dental 2
Endocrinology 1
Gastroenterology 7
Treatment Area (cont.) # Drugs
Gynecology 6
Hematology 10
Immune Therapy 8
Neurology 17
Oncology 25
Psychiatry 63
Pulmonology 4
Rheumatology 6
Urology 5

Cheek swab sample collection can be completed at the patient’s home and mailed to the lab via a prepaid return envelope.

Pillcheck samples are currently processed at the Dynacare lab in Laval, Quebec.  This lab has the following accreditations:

  1. ISO 15189:  International accreditation for Medical laboratories
  2. COLA is a medical lab accreditation demonstrating compliance with CLIA requirements (US federal regulations governing the operation of medical laboratories). www.cola.org. Of note, CLIA is an American certification that is needed only for serving US customers, and CLIA does not apply in Canada.

Pillcheck bioinformatics system was independently validated by several clinical diagnostic laboratories in US, Canada and EU.

The Pillcheck genotyping panel is optimized to maximize sensitivity and specificity, and to ensure accurate results for the ethnically diverse population in Canada by including multiple ethnic-specific alleles.

Gene Alleles Tested
ABCG2 rs2231142 G/T
ADRB2 rs1042713 G/A
CYP1A2 *1E, *1F, *1J, *1K, *6, *7, *8, *15
CYP2B6 *2, *5, *6, *7, *8, *13, *16, *22, *34
CYP2C19 *2, *3, *4, *6, *8, *10, *17
CYP2C8 *2, *3, *4
CYP2C9 *2, *3, *5, *6, *8, *9, *11, *12, *27
CYP2D6 *3, *4, *5, *6, *7, *9, *10, *17, *29, *41, *64, *69, *82, *109
CYP3A4 *3, *6, *11, *12, *16, *17, *18, *19, *22
CYP3A5 *2, *3, *6
DPYD *2A, *4, *5, *6, *9A, c.2846A>T
F2 rs1799963 G/A
F5 rs6025 C/T
G6PD Malaga, Mediterranean, Aveiro, Iowa, Nashville, Santiago de Cuba, Kaiping
NAT2 *4, *5A, *5B, *5E, *5P, *6A, *6C, *7C
NUDT15 *2, *5
OPRM1 rs1799971 (A118G) A/G
SLCO1B1 *1B, *5, *9, *15, *31
TPMT *2, *3A, *8
UGT1A1 *6, *27, *80
UGT2B15 rs1902023 A/C
VKORC1 rs9923231 C/T

Pillcheck includes a personalized report that predicts drug response to all medications covered by the test, based on the individual’s genetic profile.

The service also includes a review of the patient’s medications by a clinical pharmacist who is specially trained in pharmacogenetics. The pharmacist produces a Pharmacist Opinion Letter (POL), which provides individuals and their physicians with a summary of key findings of the test along with recommendations on dose adjustment or drug switch when warranted.


Many insurance plans cover Pillcheck under extended healthcare benefits. Patients may be required to submit a physician requisition or prescription for Pillcheck in order to be eligible for reimbursement. Patients should check with their plan for more details about eligibility and coverage requirements. Pillcheck does not currently adjudicate billings and reimbursement on behalf of the patient.

Pillcheck reports on medications with FDA drug labeling information and established clinical guidelines from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC). The FDA drug labeling guidelines contain information on genomic biomarkers and mainly describe:

  • Drug exposure and clinical response variability
  • Risk for adverse events
  • Genotype-specific dosing
PDR logo

The Prescribers’ Digital Reference includes pharmacogenetic labeling information according to the FDA’s guidelines for selected drugs

CPIC logo

CPIC guidelines are designed to help clinicians understand how genetic test results should be used to optimize drug therapy, providing genotype-specific alerts and dosing recommendations

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