Pharmacogenomics; its Beneficial and Harmful Effects - Essay Example

The paper "Pharmacogenomics; its Beneficial and Harmful Effects" is a great example of an essay on medical science. This paper contains the basic definition of Pharmacogenomics and the beneficial and harmful effects imposed by this biotechnology will also be discussed. 

Pharmacogenomics; its Beneficial and Harmful Effects
The term Pharmacogenomics is a combination of pharmacology and genomics and it is the study that explains how different people respond to medicines and other drugs depending on their genetic composition. It is actually the gene factor in each individual which entails the difference in responses. Apart from the genetic framework, there are a number of reasons that contribute to the variation in attitudes, they can be diet, environment, lifestyle, age factor etc but the key to manufacturing tailor-made medicines totally depends on how well the doctors understand the genetic makeup of individuals. (Martin, 11)
Beneficial Effects
Pharmacogenomics makes it easy for individuals to identify their respective gene code which in turn enables them to maintain a lifestyle that is in accordance with it so that the genetic complexities which might prove to be harmful in the future can be avoided. Moreover, disease vulnerability can be detected at an early age and the appropriate treatments and therapies can be offered at the right stage.
Initially medicines were diagnosed considering the patient’s age and BMI; however, with the advent of Pharmacogenomics, the parameters for diagnosis have changed. Doctors now prescribe medicines keeping in view the genetics, body response to medicine etc which also decreases the chances of overdose.
Harmful Effects
Information related to pharmacogenomics can lead to a psychological disorder in some individuals since they find it depressing to know that they might be subjected to some genetic disorder in the future. Awareness of predisposition to diseases can lead to depressing state of some people.
One of the social issues that have been observed due to pharmacogenomics is that it widens the gap between the rich and the poor since the information is available mostly to the rich people since they are more concerned about their health issues whereas poor people, on the other hand, are least bothered and are usually not aware of this technology due to which a discrimination line is automatically drawn between the two. (Mark, 115)  Read More