Conference Scene: The healthcare reform act, comparative effectiveness research and personalized medicine

This article provides a summary report based on the presentation by Dr Elizabeth Ofili on a panel at the annual Burrill Personalized Medicine meeting, titled: Has 'Healthcare Reform' accelerated or decelerated the move to a more Personalized Medicine World? The panel moderator was Dr Edward Abrahams, President of the Personalized Medicine Coalition (Washington, DC, USA). Other panelists were: Dr Richard Barker, Director General, Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (London, UK) and Dr David Lawrence, Former Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Inc. (CA, USA). This report describes Dr Ofili's discussion on the panel, using the Warfarin Adverse Event Reduction For Adults Receiving Genetic Testing at therapy Initiation (WARFARIN) study as a specific example of how well-designed studies can accelerate personalized medicine, by providing evidence that supports the appropriate adoption of pharmacogenetic testing in diagnosis and treatment. The WARFARIN study was recently approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under 'coverage with evidence development'.