Incorporating Pharmacogenomics into Practice

(HGP), was completed1,2 and allowed for the identifi-cation of the 20 000 to 25 000 genes that constitute DNA. From this project, our understanding of the human genetic landscape has expanded tremen-dously, and for the profession of pharmacy, brought along with it advances in the field of pharmacoge-nomics. From the beginning, the HGP anticipated sev-eral pharmacogenomic benefits, such as (1) more powerful medicines; (2) better, safer drugs the first time; (3) more accurate methods to determine appro-priate drug dosages; (4) advanced screening for dis-ease; (5) better vaccines; (6) improvements in the drug discovery and approval process; and (7) a decrease in the overall cost of health care.3 Thus, from its con-ception, pharmacogenomics was a priority for the HGP and continues to be a priority as we progress toward an era of truly personalized medicine. PHARMACOGENOMICS AND THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) Currently there are over 100 medications whose package labeling contains pharmacogenomic informa-tion suggesting that testing for genetic polymorphisms be obtained before treatment is started (ie, thiopurine methyltransferase polymorphisms).4,5 Overall, the FDA considers pharmacogenomics to be “a major opportu-nity on the critical path to new medical products.”6 In fact this agency has launched a new Web site dedicated to the topic of pharmacogenetic