A new AI test for antidepressant medication that matches patients with the correct tablets could soon be available in the UK.

Currently, patients with depression could wait for years to get the right medication, particularly due to the medical backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, an AI test for antidepressant medication, which takes patients through a series of questions, draws on data gathered from thousands of people around the world to match individuals to the most suitable medication.

Research has found that the Predictix AI test can provide an accurate match for a patient with depression to the right medication, removing much of the element of trial and error.

Clinical Lead for MindClinix, which offers the test, Dr Adil Jawad, said: “As doctors, we keep on trying alternative medications, but this can take time. This test means we can much more quickly find the right medication.

“Where the test concludes there is no suitable antidepressant that can help a patient, we can explore other options, such as psychotherapy, or we can look at augmenting the antidepressant with additional medication.

“If, for example, a patient has diabetes, I wouldn’t want to prescribe anything that makes them put on weight. If another has high blood pressure, or perhaps sleeps excessively, then again I wouldn’t prescribe medication that could exacerbate these conditions. This means, in my mind, I have already removed certain medications, but the test using AI takes this a step further.”

There are six groups of antidepressants, with each having several iterations. In the UK, there are around a dozen licensed antidepressants.

Predictix will be available for people with depression to self-refer and for GPs to refer their patients to. For self-referral, patients take the Predictix test, in the form of a questionnaire, which can be followed up with an online consultation.

At this stage, a suitable antidepressant is recommended, and a letter may be provided to take to the patient’s doctor. There is also ongoing support programme for patients.

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“I believe this new test will greatly cut down the element of trial and error, because we should be able to get patients’ medications right from day one,” added Dr Jawad.

“For GPs, who are seeing so many more people with depression, this will help reduce the frequent appointments patients need to make while they are getting the medication right, not to mention the costs saved by avoiding prescribing unsuitable antidepressants.”

Artificial Intelligence has been proven in the past to be an effective technology to help patients in a medical setting.

In November last year, researchers from Strathclyde and Kings College London said they had begun development of an app for determining individual women’s risk of pre-eclampsia, and its potential severity, including post-birth complications.

The plan is to combine two existing forms of a calculating tool known as PIERS (Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of Risk Score), into an integrated AI-based system which is favourable to women, their midwives and doctors, and engineers.

Scottish digital tech firm Altair Medical secured £2.25m in funding in a pre-series A funding round in April last year for the development of its respiratory monitoring tech, which uses AI to detect and alert medical professionals to adverse events from a range of breathing problems.

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