Pharmacogenetics, adverse drug reactions and public health

Abstract

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a major public health problem. Pharmacogenetic testing prior to drug treatment is supposed to considerably alleviate this problem. The state of pharmacogenetic development was assessed by a systematic literature review, supplemented by expert interviews. Analysis of three case examples revealed that - with the exception of thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) - studies are lacking which unambiguously prove the clinical value of pharmacogenetic testing. Testing can prevent some, but by far not all ADRs. Since it does not compensate for clinical monitoring, pharmacogenetics can be regarded as add-on technology, applied in addition to established methods. A non-representative, explorative survey conducted amongst members of the German Society of Laboratory Medicine revealed that the demand for testing is limited and has not increased much, although a certain increase is expected in the future.