Using Pharmacogenetic Testing to Tailor Warfarin Therapy: The Singapore Experience and What the Future Holds

Abstract

Genetic polymorphisms significantly affect individual responses to warfarin, contributing to unpredictability and challenges in managing anticoagulation. Although numerous studies have demonstrated that pharmacogenetic testing improves anticoagulation-related outcomes in the Caucasian population, its effect in the Asian population has not been well studied. This article discusses controversies surrounding tailoring warfarin therapy using pharmacogenetic testing and its role in clinical practice, with a focus on the Asian context. Using the Singapore experience as an example, the authors propose how pharmacogenetic testing can be a means to reduce dose titrations in select patient populations, and how it may be positioned as an enabler to reduce healthcare resources needed for anticoagulation management.