Partha Pratim Mahata

Pharmacogenomics is moving beyond single-gene effects to study the effects of inheritance in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic pathways involving multiple gene products. Pharmacogenomics aims to develop rational means to optimize drug therapy with respect to the patient’s genotype to ensure maximum efficacy that had a minimal serious event. In this kind of occurrences there is an advantage of personalized medications in which drugs and drug combinations are optimized for each individual’s unique genetic makeup. However, the translation of Pharmacogenomics to the bedside will require the education of physicians and other healthcare professionals in clinical genomic science generally and in its application to therapeutics in particular. Patients will also have to become informed regarding application of genomics to drug selection and dosage. In the present article, an attempt has been made to review the scenario of Pharmacogenomics and to assess the extent of knowledge and its acceptability in the field of healthcare.