4 Things You Need to Know About Pharmacogenomics

This is an exciting time to be involved in the pharmacy industry…

Technology is evolving faster than ever before, providing tools to make your job easier, and keeping the entire industry on our toes. Don’t be surprised if you start to hear the word pharmacogenomics coming up more often at industry events and in conversations with other pharmacy owners. Here is exactly what it means and how it will be impacting your pharmacy in the future.

Pharmacogenomics: the study of the role of genetics in drug response. It deals with the influence of acquired and inherited genetic variation in patients by correlating gene expression or single-nucleotide polymorphisms with drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination, as well as drug receptor target effects.

1. It is the Future of Prescription Drugs.

The field of pharmacogenomics is still in its infancy. It’s availability is currently limited, but new approaches are already under study in clinical trials. In the future, pharmacogenomics will allow the development of tailored drugs to treat a wide range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and asthma. Getting in on the ground floor of such an exciting prospect and being the first in your area to offer it will do wonders for your bottom line

1. Less People Will Experience Adverse Drug Reactions.

Pharmacogenomics will save your customer’s lives. Adverse drug reactions are asignificant cause of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. Many drugs that are currently available are said to be “one size fits all,” but they don’t actually work the same way for everyone. It can be difficult to predict who will benefit from a medication, who will not respond at all and who will experience negative side effects with traditional types of medicine. Pharmacogenomics will drastically cut down on those who experience negative reactions or no reactions to their prescriptions.

1. It Will Help Lower Healthcare Costs.

While it requires an initial investment, the field of pharmacogenomics will actually save our economy millions in the long run. Imagine a world where your customers don’t have to regularly see a doctor and try several different prescriptions and dosages to find the right way to manage their chronic disease. That world is happening already with pharmacogenomics! One trip to the doctor, one genetic test and one visit to your pharmacy later, your patients will have exactly the drug they need to be healthy.

1. New Drugs Are Being Developed.

While the current use of pharmacogenomics is mainly prescribing current medicine to patients, it’s also helping create entirely new medications. The goal is to produce new drugs that are highly effective and do not cause serious side effects. It may also breathe new life into some drugs that were abandoned during the development process. There are drugs that did not receive FDA approval because it was unclear why they worked for some test patients and not others. Genetic testing beforehand could give researchers an answer to this problem.

Pharmacogenomics is the future of medicine. Being one of the first pharmacies to bring pharmacogenomics to your area is a great opportunity to differentiate your pharmacy from the competition. At the very least, be sure to familiarize yourself and your staff sooner rather than later.