U-PGx, or Ubiquitous Pharmacogenomics, is a European consortium working to make treatment safer and more effective by applying pharmacogenomics in routine patient care. Pharmacogenomics examines how genetic differences influence a person’s response to medicines. The project explores whether testing patients in advance for a panel of important genetic markers can improve outcomes and prove cost-effective, while reducing trial-and-error prescribing.

Its PREPARE clinical study assesses this approach across healthcare settings in the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Greece and Slovenia. Genetic information can be stored in a patient’s electronic record and used by clinical decision support systems to alert prescribers and pharmacists when a medicine may pose a risk. U-PGx also provides pharmacogenomics guidelines, educational materials, study information and web resources, and organizes events and symposiums to support awareness and implementation.

Funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the initiative addresses practical barriers to pharmacogenomics adoption while considering the diversity of European healthcare systems and citizens