Removing Barriers to a Clinical Pharmacogenetics Service

Abstract

Pharmacogenetics has been proposed as a new discipline to facilitate safer and more effective prescribing by predicting individuals who will have a therapeutic response or develop side effects. Implementation of pharmacogenetic testing into mainstream clinical practice has been slow. However, recent studies provide robust evidence that pharmacogenetics can make real differences to reduce adverse reactions to certain medications. It is therefore important to consider what factors influence the introduction of pharmacogenetics into clinical practice and what requirements must be met to ensure an effective, safe, efficient and equitable pharmacogenetics service.

Keywords: :

• clinical service
• evidence level
• guidelines
• pharmacogenetics

Acknowledgements

With thanks to Kay Poulton, Transplantation Laboratory, Manchester Royal Infirmary (Manchester, UK) and Michael Beadsworth, Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital (Liverpool, UK).

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.