Developing pharmacogenetic screening methods for an emergent country: Vietnam

Area of Science:

• Pharmacogenetics
• Immunogenomics
• Drug Safety

Background:

• Strong associations exist between specific Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genotypes and severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCARs).
• Examples include HLA-B*57:01 with abacavir, HLA-B*15:02 with carbamazepine, and HLA-B*58:01 with allopurinol.
• HLA screening is established as a beneficial strategy for SCAR prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role and economic benefits of HLA screening for preventing SCARs.
• To review current pharmacogenetic screening methods for HLA alleles.
• To assess assays for detecting risk HLA alleles in Vietnam.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of published HLA screening methods.
• Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of various detection assays.
• Examination of economic benefits and clinical translation challenges.

Main Results:

• The study summarizes the economic advantages of HLA screening.
• Published screening methods and their suitability for risk allele detection are reviewed.
• The challenges in developing simple, rapid, and cost-effective assays for clinical implementation are discussed.

Conclusions:

• The proposed optimal approach can guide the development of screening programs in Vietnam.
• This framework may serve as a template for other emerging economies.
• Effective assays are critical for widespread implementation of HLA screening to prevent SCARs.