Three clinics are pre-testing children for genetic variants likely to affect their response to drugs.
While codeine is no longer used at Boston Children’s Hospital, it’s this kind of genetic profiling that Shannon Manzi, PharmD, would someday like to offer to all patients—before a drug is prescribed.
Not all people respond the same way to drugs. The results of randomized clinical trials—considered the gold standard for drug testing—often produce a dose range that worked for the majority of the patients in the study. They don’t take people’s individuality into account, and that individuality can dramatically affect drug efficacy and toxicity.
Adverse reactions are more common than you might think. Full story »
