Advancing Drug Development Through Pharmacogenomics

One size does not necessarily fit all when it comes to medicine.Two patients may respond differently to the same drug. In one patient, the drug may work as expected; in the other, it may have no result, or possibly cause side effects. This is because small genetic variations in individuals determine how a drug is metabolized in the body. Pharmacogenomics (PG x) is the study of how such genetic differences influence drug therapy. The goal is to use a person’s DNA profile to predict how the individual will respond to a medicine. The ability to predict drug response holds enormous promise to advance the drug development process and to improve drug safety and effectiveness in medical practice.