If the public is to fully reap the benefits of pharmacogenomics, policy makers must learn to recognize the specificity of this type of research. Established ethical principles demand that data banks and samples be protected, but guidelines for confidentiality levels ought to reflect and correspond to the reality and needs of productive research. In this EELS paper, Joly et al (pp 2–5) propose points of consideration for researchers and IRBs to determine appropriate levels of protection of genetic data in pharmacogenomics research.
Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) plays a central role in human drug metabolism, affecting the metabolism of 20–25% of clinically used drugs. Moreover, polymorphism of CYP2D6 significantly affects the pharmacokinetics of nearly 50% of drugs in clinical use, often resulting in adverse reactions or no response at all. Ingelman–Sundberg (pp 6–13) contextualizes these findings with this comprehensive review of the CYP2D6 polymorphism and its clinical impact, paying particular attention to the evolutionary and functional aspects that may give rise to interethnic differences.
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