TECHNOLOGY
“ From the healthcare perspective , I am focused on getting it right , which I think is everybody ' s goal ”
DANIEL STREETMAN MANAGER IN CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS , WOLTERS KLUWER HEALTH of why that is , with the intent of hopefully being able to predict it , so that we don ' t have to do this by just trial and error .”
The importance of ‘ pharmacogenomics ’ in healthcare “ If we look at medication response , I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that anywhere between 40 % to 70 % of individuals have a problem with almost any medication for any purpose – and it is a huge percentage ”, says Streetman . So it is not rare for a patient to have a problem with a drug that doesn ’ t work for them . We see statistics all the time that drug related side effects are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States .
“ When we start thinking about the role of genes , genetics , genomics in that problem , it is staggering . There are some studies that have looked and have found that virtually everybody has at least one known genetic factor that ' s responsible for altered responses to some medications .”
Beyond race in the study of pharmacogenomics The study of pharmacogenomics has historically had a lot to do with race , which has made it a topic some are keen to avoid .
“ Over the last couple years , we have seen any issue connected to race , as something that generates a lot of strong opinions on all different sides ”, explains Streetman .“ From the healthcare perspective , I have a hard time understanding why there ' s opposition to getting it right , which I think is everybody ' s goal . healthcareglobal . com 75