Pharmacogenomics is a relatively new field. It is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. For some patients, certain drugs do not work well as expected, while causing toxic effects for other patients even at lower doses. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person’s genetic makeup. Hence, genomics are increasingly relevant in clinical decision making.
Researchers have officially recognized a couple hundred of genes that are identified with medication digestion, and more of such genes are expected to be pinpointed. In 2017, more organizations are doing digestion situated hereditary testing, and the relevant costs are dropping.
The Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) has released prescribing guidelines for individuals expressing certain genetic variation. With a relatively inexpensive, genome-based drug metabolism test (with a cost of between $200 and $500), a doctor can determine the rate at which an individual metabolizes specific classes of drugs, including those for HIV and cancer treatments.
The metabolism test provides critical information to doctors for prescribing certain drugs. For example, HIV patients taking the drug Abacavir may have a serious allergic reaction that can lead to death.
With these developments in pharmacogenomic testing, doctors can prescribe medications more precisely for each patient on the basis of the individual’s various factors, including age, gender, ethnicity, and genomic makeup. Personalized drugs also help reduce the number of adverse events and amount of wasted healthcare resources, not only allowing physicians to be more efficient and effective but also benefiting patients by giving them the right medications first time of prescription.
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