With this study, the NHS aims to address barriers to the national implementation of pharmacogenomics, making personalised medicine to become standard practice
A national pharmacogenomics research study is making significant progress towards adopting personalised medicine within the NHS.
Following the success of Phase I, the PROGRESS project, which is assessing the feasibility of an NHS-wide diagnostic service to identify genetic changes associated with commonly prescribed drugs, is expanding across England.
On 5 February 2025, the NHS North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance (NW-GMSA) announced the launch of Phase II of the PROGRESS (Pharmacogenetics Roll Out – Gauging Response to Service) research study.
Phase I, which began in the North West of England in June 2023, enrolled over 250 participants, primarily those prescribed statins and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common class of antidepressants.
Preliminary results showed that 28 per cent of participants received pharmacogenomic recommendations that altered prescribing decisions, highlighting the “significant potential of genetic testing to improve both medication safety and effectiveness.”
Under Phase II, recruitment would be extended across England, including Greater Manchester, Blackpool, Liverpool, Southampton and Bedfordshire, with a target of enrolling an additional 1,450 participants by 31 December 2025.
A key advancement in this phase is the introduction of ProgressRx, an innovative digital tool designed to integrate pharmacogenomic results directly into prescribing systems.
“It integrates into existing NHS clinical decision support (CDS) systems, reducing the cognitive burden on prescribers while providing real-time, patient-specific guidance,” NW-GMSA stated in its announcement.
Professor Bill Newman, clinical director of the NW-GMSA and consultant in Genomic Medicine at MFT, and national lead for the PROGRESS research study, highlighted the significance of this tool: “For pharmacogenetics to be successfully embedded in healthcare, an end-to-end service like ProgressRx, which links testing to prescribing, is essential.”
“With ProgressRx and the insights from the PROGRESS study, the NHS is poised to take a bold step towards personalised medicine, improving outcomes for millions of patients across England,” he added.
Dharmisha Chauhan, consultant pharmacist in genomic medicine at North Thames Genomic Medicine Service Alliance, emphasised the pharmacogenetics can help guide “how we prescribe and use medicines safely.”
“Currently, testing occurs predominantly within hospital settings but as pharmacogenetics expands to drugs we commonly prescribe, such as pain relief, statins and proton pump inhibitors, we need to understand how it can be adopted into primary care settings,” she told Pharmaceutical Journal.
“PROGRESS aims to do just this,” she added, noting that expanding the project to different geographical areas will help serve different patient populations.
The PROGRESS project is funded by NHS England and led by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and the NHS North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance.
Helen Morgan's letter to Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.