Running Out of Excuses: Why Pharmacogenomics Must Be the Future of Medicine

1. Running Out of Excuses: Why Pharmacogenomics Must Be the Future of Medicine https://anryton.com

2. Introduction In the age of personalized technology, from curated playlists to AI-driven recommendations, it is baffling that medicine—the discipline tasked with preserving human life—still largely adheres to a one-size-fits-all approach. For years, doctors have prescribed medications based on population averages, often overlooking a powerful tool that could transform patient care: This field, which tailors treatments to a person’s genetic makeup, has the potential to reduce adverse drug reactions, improve therapeutic outcomes, and save billions of dollars in healthcare costs. Yet, its adoption remains frustratingly slow, with dire consequences.

3. The Cost of Sticking to the Status Quo Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are among the leading causes of death globally. In the United States alone, the Food and Drug Administration estimates that 1.3 million people are affected by ADRs annually, with over 100,000 fatalities. The World Health Organization reports that medication-related harm is responsible for a significant portion of patient injuries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where monitoring systems are less robust. The financial toll is equally staggering. A study published found that medication errors and ADRs cost healthcare systems an estimated $42 billion globally each year.

4. The Human Toll Behind these numbers are real people—patients who trusted that their prescribed medications would heal rather than harm them. Take the case of a 45-year-old woman prescribed a commonly used antidepressant. After weeks of worsening symptoms, her doctor discovered that her genetic profile made her a poor metabolizer of the drug, leading to toxic levels in her bloodstream. This revelation came too late; she had already suffered severe side effects and abandoned treatment altogether.

5. Pharmacogenomics: A Proven Solution Pharmacogenomics offers a way out of this quagmire. By analyzing a patient’s genetic makeup, healthcare providers can predict how they will respond to specific drugs. The evidence is compelling. A study published in The lancet, the three- year PREPARE study – pharmacogenomic testing for preventing adverse drug reactions – used a single Gene-Panel deployed across seven European countries, that was designed with common drug-gene side effects. After a period of time, patients were asked to self-report on any adverse drug reactions or side effects they had.

6. Another study from British Columbia, Canada published in CMAJ, looked to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pharmacogenomic testing in depression patients, from the public payer’s perspective over 20 years. THANK TOU For watching this presentation Everest Cantu Pharmacogenomic testing, if implemented in BC for adult patients with moderate–severe major depressive disorder, was predicted to save the health system $956 million($4926 per patient) and bring health gains of 0.064 life-years and 0.381 QALYs per patient (12 436 life-years and 74 023 QALYs overall over 20 yr). +123-456-7890 hello@reallygreatsite.com www.reallygreatsite.com 123 Anywhere St., Any City, State, Country 12345

7. In Singapore, pharmacogenomic testing for drugs like carbamazepine— used to treat epilepsy—is becoming standard practice, dramatically reducing cases of life-threatening skin reactions in genetically predisposed individuals. In a study conducted in 2018 at the Singapore General Hospital, it was noted that the total cost of 81 admissions caused by adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was S$770,000. It was noted that the breakeven cost of a pre-emptive PGx test for patients taking warfarin, clopidogrel, chemotherapeutic and neuropsychiatric drugs was S$154per patient.

8. The Ethical Imperative With such compelling evidence, the question arises: Why hasn’t pharmacogenomics become the norm To accelerate the adoption of pharmacogenomics, a concerted effort is needed from all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Government and Policy Makers Healthcare Providers Patients Insurance Companies Technology and Innovation

9. The Future is Now The question is not whether we can afford to adopt pharmacogenomics, but whether we can afford not to. For the millions of patients who stand to benefit, the answer is clear. Linkedin Articles https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anmol-kapoor-373631a/recent-activity/articles/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/predicting-risk-sudden-cardiac-death-genomics-anmol-kapoor/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/audacious-gamble-trumps-eye-canada-critical-lessons-data- kapoor-x1u8c/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/running-out-excuses-why-pharmacogenomics-must-future- medicine-kapoor-rei3c/

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