Pharmacogenomics in general practice
Despite potential savings of more than $1 billion annually, awareness of pharmacogenomic tests among Australian prescribers is low and national guidelines for their use have not been developed. This void contributes directly to the continued prescribing of ineffective medications, unacceptably high rates of adverse drug reactions and associated personal and economic costs.
Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is the study of how the genome of an individual patient influences their response to a medication.
Pharmacogenomic testing, by aligning a given medication (and its dosing) to an individual’s genetic potential for therapeutic or adverse response, adds a further dimension to the concept of personalised medicine.
The efficacy and safety of a medication, which must be established prior to its release and marketing, is currently assessed by clinical trials involving thousands of individuals. The broadly applicable ...
