Department of Pharmacology, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Amalanagar, Thrissur, Kerala 680555
Modern medicine has changed the way in which diseases are managed and drugs administered. Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR): 3 simple words convey little of the horror of a severe reaction to a prescribed drug. Currently there is no way to determine whether a patient will respond well, badly, or not at all to a particular medication. Here, genovigilance plays a crucial role.
Pharmacogenomics is a dynamic, clinical, and scientific discipline which plays a crucial role in relation to the challenges posed by adverse effects of medicines. Pharmacovigilance serves to highlight the need for effective drug monitoring. Through out the human genome are millions of discrete one-letter variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are used as a diagnostic tool to predict a person's drug response. Pre-screening should allow clinical trials to be smaller in size, faster, and less expensive, so that the consumer could benefit from reduced drug costs. Predictive genotyping can improve drug response and minimize ADRs. The challenges and issues in pharmacogenomics are of great importance. Collaboration between Universities, Medical Schools, Health professionals (i.e., clinicians and academicians), will help solve many problems and educate the common man about ADRs in general.
