Personalised Medicine: Cure or quandary?

Personalised medicine - or pharmacogenetics' - involves looking at how people's genetic makeup affects their response to medicines. The idea is that a simple blood test could show if a particular person is suited to a particular drug. It should be possible to work out what time of day a drug should be taken for it to work most effectively. This would mean a whole new approach to treatment: the right medicine for the right person at the right dose. It sounds sensible, if futuristic, but personalised medicines are not without complications and may not be that far away.

The potential in this field is huge, but, as with any new technology, we must be aware of the consequences. Large-scale genetic tests could offer us safer, better drugs, but who should have access to the information these tests provide? If a blood test reveals that a cancer sufferer will not respond to the best drug on the market, would his or her chances of survival be uncertain? Should insurers know? Will drug companies develop medicines that may benefit only a few people? Is the NHS ready for personalised medicines and can it afford them?

Join us to discuss the implications of personalised medicines. Will they usher in a new era of better healthcare, or simply bring higher costs and more ethical problems? Our speakers will help you decide.

Event organised by
The European Dana Alliance for the Brain and the British Pharmacological Society