Migwan0: Thanks again. You are a master at fitting those little (and big) pieces into out favorite jigsaw puzzle.
Glad to see the J+J comments. Seems like if the FDA doesn't "do the right thing" and quick, the companies are becoming aware enough to utilize biogeographical ancestry themselves. Might just need a DNA ancestry test to exclude patients who might see no benefit or be harmed by some new drug.
Wouldn't it be interesting for some drug manufacturer to report to the FDA "100% effective" when applied to this biogeographical group with these allelle sets.
The question comes to mind, that if I decided to take a test to map my distinctive markers for drug efficacy, would that "map" be applicable across a broad spectrum of drugs? Would of course refer to "what's the best pain reliever for me?" - whay's the best statin medicine for me? Blood pressure? Diabetes prevention. Would one test "for me" allow comparison agains clinical trial groups "maps" to see if I could benefit from current or future drugs?
I would like to imagine that one day I could go to the local pharmacy and "swipe my DNA profile card" for the best over the counter remedies for my use. Of course the real pay-off would be having the card for my family physician to swipe before he wrote a prescription for my needs. Who knows, he might even need to rewrite some scrips for what I'm taking now.
I can grant that new discoveries and interactions will outdate the early dna profiles as new markers and thier significance are uncovered. I would conjecture that the process would be additive, and may lead to the ability of the FDA to speed needed "smart drugs" to market, as long as a biogeographical screening is done on the patients. Thinking ahead, i would love to see the day when my medical insurance provider required a DNA screen to be done so the most cost effective and result effective combination of treatments would be used. With the aging of America, the numbers of patients requiring "senior care" medications will skyrocket. Careful management is required now to look for drug interactions within the range of medications prescribed for one patient by perhaps 5 or 6 different doctors attending. The pharmacist is the last link in the chain, because he is usually the dispenser of all the medications that are prescribed from different sources. I don't think it is too far out of line to hope that one day the dna profile will become a useful tool not only at the "doctor-patient" level but at the "consumer-pharmacist level as well.
Johmson and Johnson comments you noted may be an early sign that the companies are paying a great deal of attention to the discreprancies betwen biogeographical dna mapping and "self reported racial profiles.
Stakddek
