The history and future of pharmacogenetics in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

Pharmacogenetics is the study of genetic variants in genes which may impact on the outcome of drug treatment, either through safety considerations (occurrence of adverse drug reactions or therapeutic failure) or altered drug pharmacokinetics. This paper provides a brief history of pharmacogenetics research in the Aotearoa/New Zealand context, and a commentary on our current state. Factors that have limited translation of pharmacogenetic knowledge into ou r healthcare system are considered, and possible solutions to these are proposed. Pharmacogenetic knowledge has long been invoked as a way to improve the safety and success of drug prescribing, but (with some notable exceptions) it has largely failed to achieve this promise. Several barriers to clinical implementation need to be overcome to ensure that pharmacogenetics becomes a key component of precision health for all people in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Keywords: Adverse drug reaction; direct-to-consumer; drug prescribing; genetic test; personalised medicine; pharmacogenomics.