EGAPP Working Group Releases First Recommendation
Statement on Genetic Testing

The Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP) Working Group released the first in a planned series of recommendation statements on the use of genetic tests in clinical practice. In this first statement, the Working Group addresses the use of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) testing in adults with depression beginning treatment with a widely prescribed class of antidepressants. The recommendation statement appears in the December issue of Genetics in Medicine* and is freely accessible through the EGAPP Working Group website (http://www.egappreviews.org).

“This is a landmark paper,” said Dr. Muin Khoury, Director of the National Office of Public Health Genomics (NOPHG) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “With the expected increase in the number of genetic tests in practice, this recommendation statement marks the start of a sustained public health approach to independent assessment of genomic applications in clinical and public health practice.”

Recommendations fill need for reliable, objective information on emerging genetic tests
CDC’s NOPHG (www.cdc.gov/genomics) established the independent, non-federal EGAPP Working Group in 2005 to support the development of a systematic process for evaluating the validity and utility of genetic tests in clinical practice. Reliable, evidence-based information is urgently needed for use by health care providers, consumers, policy makers, and others to help them distinguish genetic tests that are safe and effective, and provide guidance on their appropriate use.

EGAPP process summarizes evidence, highlights gaps, makes recommendations for use
The multidisciplinary EGAPP Working Group prioritizes and selects tests for review, considers the available evidence, provides recommendations on appropriate use of genetic tests in specific clinical scenarios, and highlights critical knowledge gaps. In their first recommendation statement, the Working Group based their conclusions on an EGAPP-funded evidence report prepared by the Duke University Evidence-based Practice Center (www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/cyp450tp.htm), and on subsequent analysis and deliberations by EGAPP panel members on the strength of evidence and potential clinical and social impact of using the tests in practice.

Questions and comments can be addressed to [email protected].

* Genet Med. 2007:9(12):819-825.