Pharmacogenomics

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to accept the kind invitation to serve as Editor of an Special Issue on “Pharmacogenomics”. I think that this is a timely initiative which will be of interest to most medical disciplines. Cardiovascular disorders (25%–30%), cancer (20%–25%) and brain disorders (10%–15%) represent over 60%–70% of morbility and mortality in developed countries. Approximately 10%–20% of direct costs for disease management are attributed to pharmacological treatment, and, unfortunately, it is estimated that drug efficacy is restricted to 20%–30% of the cases treated with a particular drug in almost any medical specialty. Many different factors influence drug efficacy and safety, including the chemical properties of a drug, route of administration, disease stage, nutrition, compliance, drug–drug interactions, and pharmacogenomics.

In the coming years, the onset of a revolutionary transformation of protocols and strategies for drug development is expected. Pharmacogenomics is one of the doors to enter the complex building of personalized medicine.

The Regulatory Agencies should make recommendations to the pharmaceutical industry in favor of the introduction of pharmacogenomics in drug development and the inclusion of pharmacogenomic information on drug labels, with specific warnings for the population at risk. Educational programs are fundamental for drug prescribers to become familiar with personalized treatments. Pharmacogenetic testing should be gradually introduced into medical practice. The introduction of pharmacogenomics in routine clinical practice is fundamental for optimizing therapeutics and for reducing adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which are a major health concern worldwide. There are multiple causes of ADRs, some of which are preventable. Pharmacogenomics accounts for ≈80% variability in drug efficacy and safety. Over 400 genes are clinically relevant in drug metabolism, and ≈200 pharmagenes are associated with ADRs. The condition of extensive metabolizers in the Caucasian population is lower than 20%, and about 60% of patients are exposed to potential ADRs.

I would like to invite all of you, experts and beginners in the field of pharmacogeneomics, to contribute to this Special Issue with your ideas for accelerating the implementation of pharmacogenomic procedures in drug development and clinical practice.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Prof. Dr. Ramón Cacabelos
Guest Editor

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