Thomas Scientific-Inagene Deal Takes Aim at Mental Health Through Pharmacogenetic Testing

SWEDESBORO, NEW JERSEY and TORONTO, ONTARIO - Thomas Scientific, the largest pure-play distributor of scientific products in the USA, has entered into a partnership with Canadian pharmacogenetic testing company Inagene Diagnostics Inc. for the distribution of their Personalized Insights™ pharmacogenetic test kits. The addition of the CLIA*1-approved kits to Thomas’ portfolio marks the company’s first inroad into the mental health market. 


Inagene harnesses the power of pharmacogenetic testing and personalized medicine to help people feel better, sooner. Inagene’s pharmacogenetic testing kits provide users with a cheek swab to capture their sample, which takes about 5 minutes to complete. Once the sample is taken, the user sends it to Inagene’s lab for analysis. Within 7 days of sample receipt, users are sent their Personalized Insights™, which is a digital report outlining their response to over 150 medications used in mental health, pain, cardiology, neurology, cancer, and a number of other therapeutic areas.  


Inagene was founded in 2018, by Dr. Katherine Siminovitch and Alan Greenberg. Their goal was to develop a fast, simple, and affordable test that would evaluate genes and variants implicated in an individual’s response to medications used in the treatment of pain and mental health conditions. In 2019, they realized that goal and began scaling so anyone and everyone could benefit from the insights of personalized pharmacogenetic testing. 


The addition of pharmacogenetic testing to Thomas Scientific’s new mental health services catalog provides their clients with personalized insights that allow them to take control of their health. 


In 2020 they conducted a study2 of 50 patients to validate Inagene’s pharmacogenetic testing capabilities and their Personalized Insights™ report. The study found that: 

  • 76% of patients had a change made to their treatment plan 
  • 66% of patients had at least one medication switched to another  
  • 42% of patients had a new medication added to their treatment plan  
  • 34% of patients had at least one medication removed from their treatment plan 


Don Wright, Inagene's Executive Chairman, adds: "Everyone at Inagene really values this new partnership with Thomas Scientific because they will help us get our kits into people's hands faster so more people can feel better, sooner."  


Founded in 1900, Thomas Scientific operated as a small family-owned business for most of its history before making 4 different strategic acquisitions from 2017-2018, and yet another in 2022. This has led to a significant expansion of the strength of their distribution network and breadth of product offerings across multiple categories. 


Furthermore, these growth initiatives have helped Thomas secure more key supplier partnerships - thus improving the appeal of its Clinical Diagnostics (CDx) portfolio and allowing for a more diverse array of customer solutions. Already possessing expertise within pharmacogenetic workflows, the Thomas CDx team is optimistic about its foray into mental health and excited to offer the Personalized Insights™ kits from Inagene. “This partnership marks Thomas Scientific’s first foray into the mental health space, and is a testament to the value of our collaboration with Inagene,” asserted Michael Brown, Senior VP of Clinical Diagnostics at Thomas Scientific. “With this new offering, Thomas Scientific and Inagene are committed to providing customers with personalized insights that can help them better understand their mental health.” 


With nearly 2 out of 3 people treated for depression do not achieve remission when given standard treatment3, most patients will spend weeks or months trialing different medications, often enduring side effects along with the persistent symptoms of their condition. With that in mind, Thomas Scientific and Inagene are hoping to help their clients and patients feel better, sooner by limiting a person’s drug trialing through pharmacogenetic testing. Inagene’s Personalized Insights™ report provides users with predicted responses to most medications commonly used in the treatment of pain and mental health conditions. 


Order your pharmacogenetic test kit today so you can get your Personalized Insights™ report and take control of your health: SHOP NOW 


About Thomas Scientific 
Thomas Scientific provides a comprehensive offering of supplies, equipment, and solutions to the scientific community – supporting all cleanroom, laboratory research, biopharmaceutical, medical device, clinical diagnostics, and other related end markets. With a national network of 9 distribution and service centers, supported by a highly technical commercial, customer service, and strategic sourcing organization, Thomas Scientific is an important partner to the scientific community. 
 
About Inagene Diagnostics 
Inagene Diagnostics is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated pharmacogenetic testing lab specializing in providing patients and healthcare teams with personalized prescribing decision tools based on leading genetic analysis and technology. For more information on Inagene Diagnostics Inc, visit their website at Inagene.com, or request more information directly from their team via email: info@inagene.com  

 

 

Footnote

  1. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. The objective of CLIA is to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of patient test results through quality laboratory standards. For more information, please visit. https://www.cdc.gov/clia/about.html 
  2. An unpublished internal pilot study
  3. Rush AJ, Trivedi MH, Wisniewski SR, et al. Acute and longer-term outcomes in depressed outpatients requiring one or several treatment steps: a STAR*D report. Am J Psychiatry. 2006;163(11):1905-1917. doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.11.1905 

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