Frontiers in Genetics (Nov 2012)

Towards a clinical practice guide in pharmacogenomics testing for functional polymorphisms of drug-metabolising enzymes. Gene/drug pairs and barriers perceived in Spain.

  • José A G Agúndez,
  • Francisco eAbad-Santos,
  • Ana eAldea,
  • Hortensia eAlonso,
  • María Luisa eBernal,
  • Alberto eBorobia,
  • Emma eBorras,
  • Miguel eCarballo,
  • Alfonso eCarvajal,
  • José D García-Muñiz,
  • Guillermo eGervasini,
  • Félix Javier eJiménez-Jiménez,
  • Maria Isabel Lucena,
  • Carmen eMartinez Oliva,
  • José eSacristán,
  • Ines eSalado,
  • Blanca eSinues,
  • Jorge eVicente,
  • Elena eGarcía-Martín

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2012.00273
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3

Abstract

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The development of clinical practice recommendations or guidelines for the clinical use of biomarkers is an issue of great importance with regard to adverse drug reactions. The potential of pharmacogenomic biomarkers has been extensively investigated in recent years. However, several barriers to implementing the use of pharmacogenomics testing exist. We conducted a survey among members of the Spanish Societies of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology to obtain information about the perception of such barriers and to compare the perceptions of participants about the relative importance of major gene/drug pairs.Of 11 potential barriers, the highest importance was attributed to lack of institutional support for pharmacogenomics testing, and to the issues related to the lack of guidelines. Of the proposed gene/drug pairs the highest importance was assigned to HLA-B/abacavir, UGT1A1/irinotecan and CYP2D6/tamoxifen. In this perspective article we compare the relative importance of 29 gene/drug pairs in the Spanish study with that of the same pairs in the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics study, and we provide suggestions and areas of focus to develop a guide for clinical practice in pharmacogenomics testing.

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