Pharmacists and Pharmacogenomics: An Evaluation of Knowledge, Beliefs, Attitudes and Practices

Pharmacogenomics is the term used to describe the rapidly advancing study on how genetic makeup can impact drug therapy. In specialized clinical situations, such as the use of irinotecan in colon cancer or abacavir in HIV infections, it is now possible to identify specific genotypes that correlate strongly with a patient\u27s therapeutic outcome, with implications on both efficacy and side effects. On a broader scale, a systematic review published by the Journal of the American Medical Association on the top 27 adverse reaction-causing drugs found that a majority of the adverse effects have a genetic component, suggesting that an analysis of an individual\u27s genetic profile may help in the management of these adverse drug reactions. Additionally, the FDA has included genetic information on more than 100 drug labels. The more that is understood about the association between genotype and drug response, the greater the opportunity and responsibility will be for pharmacists in this realm