Pharmacogenomics in the Uk National Health Service: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Despite increasing interest in pharmacogenomics, and the potential benefits to improve patient care, implementation into clinical practice has not been widespread. Recently, there has been a drive to implement genomic medicine into the UK National Health Service (NHS), largely spurred on by the success of the 100,000 Genomes Project. The UK Pharmacogenetics and Stratified Medicine Network, NHS England and Genomics England invited experts from academia, the healthcare sector, industry and patient representatives to come together to discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing pharmacogenomics into the NHS. This report highlights the discussions of the workshop to provide an overview of the issues that need to be considered to enable pharmacogenomic medicine to become mainstream within the NHS.

Author contributions

This report is based on a workshop that invited experts to come together in discussion groups to determine the opportunities to introduce pharmacogenetics into the UK NHS to improve healthcare; identify the challenges and offer solution on how best to overcome such challenges. RM Turner, WG Newman and E Bramon acted as chair/rapporteur for discussion groups, directing discussions and compiling reports of discussions, and edited the draft report. RM Turner also presented findings at the event. CJ McNamee organized/managed event, complied initial draft of report, incorporated rapporteur notes, comments and drafted final edit. WL Wong and S Misbah acted as rapporteurs of discussion groups contributing their notes of the discussions to the report, WL Wong offered comments on report. S Hill and M Caulfield were involved in the conception of the event, offered advice on content/format of the event and viewed final report. M Caulfield also presented findings at the event. They will be taking the findings of the event forward. M Pirmohamed offered advice on content/format of workshop, chaired and oversaw the event, presented findings, edited the initial draft and provided approval of the final version of the report to be published, acting as author for correspondence and will be taking findings of the event forward.

Disclaimer

The content of this article represents the collective views of the attendees rather than those of any individual organization represented at the workshop.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The UK Pharmacogenetics and Stratified Medicine Network has received unrestricted educational grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb and UCB, but these funds were not utilized for this workshop. S Hill is Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England, while MC is Chief Scientist for Genomics England. WG Newman is director of the North West Genomics Laboratory Hub. M Pirmohamed has received infrastructure support from the MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science and HDR North, and is also involved in the EU-funded Ubiquitous Pharmacogenomics (U-PGx) project. M Pirmohamed also reports receipt of partnership funding for the MRC Clinical Pharmacology Training Scheme (co-funded by MRC and Roche, UCB, Eli Lilly and Novartis); a PhD studentship jointly funded by EPSRC and Astra Zeneca; and grant funding from Vistagen Therapeutics. He has developed an HLA genotyping panel with MC Diagnostics, but does not benefit financially from this. None of the funding declared was used for the workshop or current paper. Disclose any financial interests. The authors have no other 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 apart from those disclosed.

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

Additional information

Funding

The UK Pharmacogenetics and Stratified Medicine Network has received unrestricted educational grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb and UCB, but these funds were not utilized for this workshop. S Hill is Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England, while MC is Chief Scientist for Genomics England. WG Newman is director of the North West Genomics Laboratory Hub. M Pirmohamed has received infrastructure support from the MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science and HDR North, and is also involved in the EU-funded Ubiquitous Pharmacogenomics (U-PGx) project. M Pirmohamed also reports receipt of partnership funding for the MRC Clinical Pharmacology Training Scheme (co-funded by MRC and Roche, UCB, Eli Lilly and Novartis); a PhD studentship jointly funded by EPSRC and Astra Zeneca; and grant funding from Vistagen Therapeutics. He has developed an HLA genotyping panel with MC Diagnostics, but does not benefit financially from this. None of the funding declared was used for the workshop or current paper. Disclose any financial interests. The authors have no other 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 apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.