Imagine taking a medication without having to worry about the side effects and whether or not the drug will work. This is the promise of pharmacogenomics. We are all familiar with the “hit or miss” way our doctors prescribe medication for us. The doctor prescribes a medication and if that one doesn’t work, she’ll try another one and so on until she finds one that works. There is no way for us to know ahead of time whether or not the medication will work for us, or if we will have an adverse reaction to it. Enter pharmacogenomics, the wave of the future. Think designer medicines. Could it really happen? Could medicine be designed to fit our personal genetic makeup? Many researchers believe it can and will happen, even if it takes a number of years to accomplish it.

Pharmacogenomics involves analyzing a patient’s genetic makeup and in turn predicting how certain medications will work for that patient. There are many expected benefits to be derived from pharmacogenomics. First of all, medicines will become safer to take, as the possible risks will be eliminated after careful analysis of a patient’s genetic makeup. This in turn can help lower the costs of health care by decreasing the number of people who seek medical help when they have an adverse reaction to a medication. Also, doctors will be able to better determine the dosage of the drug, saving patients from possible overdose.

Sounds too good to be true? There are some drawbacks that could affect the progression of pharmacogenomics. Mainly, will pharmaceutical companies be willing to invest in research for a medication the applies to a small group of people? Also, if the patient’s genetic makeup shows that none of the available medications would be safe, especially in the case where there are only one or two medications available for a certain condition, what alternatives does the patient have then?

Heather Koppes is a freelance business writer. She is available to write for your science or medical-oriented company, web site or publication. She writes brochures, press releases, feature articles, case studies, newsletter articles and more. For more information on how to contact her and to see more samples of her writing, visit http://heatherlkoppes.blogspot.com.

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