ABSTRACT
With the advent of new molecular biology and scientific techniques, there is better understanding of genetic polymorphisms in oxidative drug metabolism systems today. These systems are important in pharmacogenetic studies which genotype polymorphic alleles encoding drug metabolising enzymes to enable the individual’s drug metabolising phenotype to be found. Once found, the knowledge can be used to tailor drug dosage regimens to an individual to maximise therapeutic efficacy and minimise adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The knowledge could also be used to optimise drug development programmes so that all the subgroups within a target population are adequately represented in clinical trails.
Synder in 1932 wrote the first report on the Mendelian inheritance of the inability to taste phenylthiourea. Twenty-five years later, Arno Motulsky suggested hereditary factors might be the explanation to inter-individual differences in drug responses.
This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.
