Pharmacogenomics, the intersection of pharmacology and genetics, studies how an individual’s inherited variations in genes affects the body’s response to medications and may be used to predict future response to therapy.
Articles, Publications and Presentations on Pharmacogenomics:
- Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy (JMCP) Commentary: Challenges and Opportunities in Pharmacogenomics and Therapeutics. Michael D. Kane, PhD/ Kent H. Summers, RPh, PhD.
The use of a patient’s genetic data to inform decisions related to diagnostic and prognostic health care represents the ultimate achievement of 50 years of genomic research. The technology to realize this vision has emerged and continues to evolve. An emerging vision of the future involves deriving patient-specific genomic data before birth, which includes an exhaustive sampling of genomic information. **click here to read the full commentary**
- Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy (JMCP) Subject Review: Implications of Pharmacogenomics in the Current and Future Treatment of Asthma. Thomas J. Morrow, MD
For more than a generation, managed care has attempted to eliminate variations in care delivery in the hope of producing predictable outcomes. But the population-based, guideline-driven approach may not have fully appreciated the importance of individual behavior (adherence) and environment, as well as individual genetic makeup. **click here to read the full review**
- Managed Care: Health Plans Join Up For the Genomics Revolution. John Carroll, Contributing Editor
Faced with a surge of new genetic research studies as well as a growing roster of genetic tests that can be used to guide treatment protocols or to red-flag a health risk, health plans and insurers have been scrambling to make sense of a field that is reshaping the way people are treated. **click here to read the full article**
- Pharmacogenomics and Warfarin Testing: The Case for Personalized Medicine. Shiew-Mei Huang, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, CDER, FDA **click here to access the presentation**
- The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Commentary: Recommended Basic Science Foundation Necessary to Prepare Pharmacists to Manage Personalized Pharmacotherapy. ACCP Educational Affairs Committee, June 2010 **click here to access commentary**
- Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines: Laboratory Analysis and Application of Pharmacogenomics to Clinical Practice. The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB), April 2010 **click here to access the guidelines**
Internet Resources:
The table portrays a view on valid genomic biomarkers in the context of FDA-approved drug labels. It provides a comprehensive list of these markers and links to pharmacogenomic data, taking into account multiple regulatory contexts in which these biomarkers were approved. Most drug labels in this table provide pharmacogenomic information with no immediate recommendation for a specific action (i.e. genetic testing); however a few labels recommend or require genetic testing thereby specifying the use of these markers for reaching a therapeutic decision.
Pharmacogenomics Education Program: Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice" (PharmGenEd™) is an evidence-based pharmacogenomics education program designed for pharmacists and physicians, pharmacy and medical students, and other healthcare professionals. The objective of PharmGenEd™ is to increase awareness about current knowledge of the validity and utility of pharmacogenomic tests and the potential implications of their therapeutic use.
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) created the Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms to help everyone understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research. In addition to definitions, specialists in the field of genetics share their descriptions of terms, and many terms include images, animation and links to related terms.
Currently, there is no simple way to determine whether people will respond well, badly, or not at all to a medication; therefore, pharmaceutical companies are limited to developing drugs using a "one size fits all" system. This system allows for the development of drugs to which the "average" patient will respond. But, as the statistics above show, one size does NOT fit all, sometimes with devastating results. What is needed is a way to solve the problem of ADRs before they happen. The solution is in sight though, and it is called pharmacogenomics.
ThePharmacogenetics Research Network (PGRN) is a nationwide collaboration of scientists studying the effect of genes on people's responses to a wide variety of medicines.