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Pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies, and pharmacogenomic testing: prescription for progress?
1Scripps Translational Science Institute, Scripps Health, The Scripps Research Institute, and West Wireless Health Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. etopol@scripps.edu
Science Translational Medicine
|August 13, 2010
Summary
Personalizing medicine with pharmacogenomic testing offers safer, more effective drug choices. Despite clinician hesitancy, pharmacy benefit managers and drugstores are advancing pharmacogenetic initiatives for better patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacogenomics
- Clinical Medicine
- Drug Development
Background:
- Matching patients with optimal drugs and doses is a significant clinical goal.
- Clinicians have shown reluctance in adopting pharmacogenomic analyses for routine prescribing.
- Pharmacy benefit managers and drugstores are actively pursuing pharmacogenetic initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the potential of pharmacogenomics in advancing clinical medicine.
- To underscore the ongoing initiatives in pharmacogenetics by the pharmaceutical industry.
Main Methods:
- Review of current trends in pharmacogenomic adoption.
- Analysis of initiatives by pharmacy benefit managers and drugstores.
Main Results:
- A gap exists between the recognized potential of pharmacogenomics and its clinical implementation by physicians.
- Significant progress is being made by pharmacy benefit managers and drugstores in pharmacogenetic programs.
Conclusions:
- Pharmacogenomic testing holds promise for personalized medicine.
- Industry-driven pharmacogenetic initiatives are paving the way for wider adoption, despite clinical hesitance.
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