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Personalised medicine may save the NHS millions of pounds, as well as many lives, each year according to a report published by the Royal College of Physicians and the British Pharmacological Society.
The report contends that patients should be genetically screened before being medically prescribed. This is because genetic variation alters our response to drugs, including certain painkillers and antidepressants.
'The aim of pharmacogenomics is to make sure patients get the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time to be able to improve their outcomes, treat their symptoms, cure their disease and prevent side-effects,' Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, NHS chair of pharmacogenetics at the University of Liverpool, said.
Approximately 6.5 percent of UK hospital admissions are due to adverse drug reactions, costing the NHS roughly £650 million each year. For example, some individuals are more likely to experience side-effects from the painkiller codeine. On the other hand, eight percent of the population lack the gene that is required for codeine to work, meaning that more than five million people receive no pain relief from it at all.
Some pharmacogenomic tests are already available on the NHS. For instance, patients with breast or colon cancer are screened to determine whether they can be safely prescribed 5-fluorouracil, a type of chemotherapy. However, this approach is currently extremely disease- and drug-limited.
www.bionews.org.uk
The report contends that patients should be genetically screened before being medically prescribed. This is because genetic variation alters our response to drugs, including certain painkillers and antidepressants.
'The aim of pharmacogenomics is to make sure patients get the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time to be able to improve their outcomes, treat their symptoms, cure their disease and prevent side-effects,' Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, NHS chair of pharmacogenetics at the University of Liverpool, said.
Approximately 6.5 percent of UK hospital admissions are due to adverse drug reactions, costing the NHS roughly £650 million each year. For example, some individuals are more likely to experience side-effects from the painkiller codeine. On the other hand, eight percent of the population lack the gene that is required for codeine to work, meaning that more than five million people receive no pain relief from it at all.
Some pharmacogenomic tests are already available on the NHS. For instance, patients with breast or colon cancer are screened to determine whether they can be safely prescribed 5-fluorouracil, a type of chemotherapy. However, this approach is currently extremely disease- and drug-limited.
Report calls for widespread use of pharmacogenomics by the NHS | PET
Personalised medicine may save the NHS millions of pounds, as well as many lives, each year according to a report published by the Royal College of Physicians and the British Pharmacological Society...
www.bionews.org.uk
