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WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark Corp. will be able to provide its pharmacy benefits management clients additional genetic services beginning in 2010 under a deal with Generation Health Inc.
The agreement, under which CVS Caremark is taking a minority stake in privately held Generation Health, will expand pharmacogenomic clinical and testing services. Such initiatives can assist physicians in their evaluation of a patient’s genetic makeup to determine whether a medication will be effective.
CVS Caremark already provides pharmacogenomic intervention services in its specialty pharmacy business. Through the new partnership, it plans to introduce those services for certain drugs dispensed under the traditional pharmacy benefits manager.
The companies said they initially plan to focus on clinical and testing programs that predict how a patient will respond to medications in such therapeutic areas as oncology, cardiovascular medicine and the treatment of HIV.
The services are set to be introduced to CVS Caremark’s PBM clients in the second quarter of next year.
As part of the agreement, CVS Caremark chief medical officer Troyen Brennan will join the board of Generation Health, which was created in November 2008 with funding from its founders and the venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners.
