Assessment of real cost effectiveness, with data linked to individual health outcomes while protecting patient privacy, is an essential challenge we need to meet
Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics — the use of genetic and genomic information, respectively, to tailor drugs to the treatment of individual patients — make it possible to use information from the human genome in ways that will radically transform the prevention and treatment of human disease.1,2 Over the past several years, Australians have been given access to several drugs which can be prescribed under a taxpayer-funded scheme only if the patient has a specific molecular disease target that predicts a good treatment outcome.
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- 1. Shah J. Criteria influencing the clinical uptake of pharmacogenetic strategies. BMJ 2005; 328: 1482-1486.
- 2. Collins F, Green ED, Guttmacher A, et al. A vision for the future of genomics research. Nature 2003; 422: 835-847.
- 3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health expenditure in Australia 2002–03. Health and Welfare Expenditure Series No. 20. Canberra: AIHW, 2004. (AIHW Cat. No. HWE 27.)
- 4. Sansom L. The subsidy of pharmaceuticals in Australia: processes and challenges. Aust Health Rev 2004; 28: 194-205.
- 5. Brown L, Walker A, Waters A, et al. Funding of high cost biotechnology and other innovative targeted therapies under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (NATSEM Position Paper). Canberra: National Centre for Social and Economic Modeling, 2002. Available at: http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au/publications/papers/otherpubs/pbs/pbs_and_highcostdrugs.pdf (accessed 23 Mar 2005).
- 6. Lu C, March L, Sansom L, et al. Access to high cost drugs in Australia — risk sharing scheme may set a new paradigm. BMJ 2004; 329: 415-416.
Robyn Ward is a member of the PBAC but the views in this article are not made on behalf of this committee.