Pharmacogenomics studies how the genetics of an individual impacts their response to drugs. It aims at better human health by personalizing treatment according to genetic composition. Also, it increases the prescribers' ability to select, initiate, and adjust medications precisely and has many applications and benefits.
Applications of pharmacogenomics
1. Reduction of polypharmacy
Pharmacogenomics helps reduce the occurrence of polypharmacy. The tailored drug treatment reduces the need for patients to take several medications to treat the same condition. As a result, there are low chances of ADRs, improvements in treatment outcomes, and saving money buying multiple drugs.
2. Improving drug safety
Doctors can analyze a patient's genetic profile and prescribe the best available drug therapy. The process will help doctors avoid guesswork and adverse patient effects. Also, it will speed up recovery time and increase safety by minimizing unwanted death, adverse reactions, and unnecessary hospitalization.
3. Producing powerful medicines and better vaccines
?Pharmaceutical companies apply pharmacogenomics to fashion drugs based on proteins, enzymes, and RNA molecules associated with genes and diseases. The process leads to the manufacture of more targeted drugs for specific conditions. The accuracy maximizes restorative effects and decreases damage to nearby cells.
Additionally, it is applied to make a vaccine from genetic materials. The vaccines are better and activate the immune system without causing infections. They are safe, and you can engineer them to carry several strains of pathogens.
4. Cancer treatment
Pharmacogenomics helps identify patients most likely to respond to certain cancer drugs. This is achieved by identifying patients at risk of severe toxicity and those that might benefit from a particular treatment. Therefore, it allows doctors to move toward the ultimate goal of individualized cancer therapy.
5. Cardiovascular diseases
Pharmacogenomics aims to identify how genetic variability impact drug responsiveness and toxicity. The impacts are crucial in knowing the variable responses to cardiovascular therapies such as warfarin, clopidogrel, and statins. It elevates the risk of cardiovascular disorders and the ability to cure. Other diseases include diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis, asthma, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and more.
Benefits of Pharmacogenomics
- Decrease in the overall cost of health care
Pharmacogenomics decreases the number of adverse drug reactions, failed drug trials, drug approval time, and several medications for effective therapy. All these will reduce the cost of health care and increase the chances of recovery.
- Improvement in the drug discovery and approval process
Genome targets help pharmaceutical business to discover more appropriate therapies. They can rejuvenate the process of failed drugs by studying the genome of the patients. Also, the drug approval process is easy as trials target specific genetic population groups for tremendous success.
Traditionally, drug dosages relied on the severity of the disease, age, and patient's weight. But recently, the conventional method has been replaced by seeing the person's genetics. It helps to establish how well the body processes the medicine and the time it takes to metabolize it. Also, it helps in maximizing the therapy's value and decreases the risk of overdose.
Final thoughts
Pharmacogenomics aims to tailor treatment to each person or group for better outcomes. It improves your health by identifying the benefits and safety of the drugs before using them, and investing in such services offers numerous benefits.
