The idea of personalized medicine is growing within the pharmaceutical industry. One of the major objectives of personalized medicine is it’s potential in targeting disease or designing a cure based on individual or sub-group genetic characterization. The application of pharmacogenetics following the human genome project is a major milestone in the scientific community and a rational way to apply genomic library information to a better use. As science moves forward, the in-depth understanding and potential consequences of genetic variations, or some genetic materials which scientists have for a long time considered “non coding” or “junk” genetic material may be handy and useful in designing medical treatment and alternative.  Non-coding RNAs such as ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, Piwi-interacting RNA, small-interfering RNA and micro-RNA are now considered as functional RNA molecules. For instance, microRNAs were estimated to control 30% of the translational activity of all protein-coding genes in mammals and may be essential components in the progression or treatment of various diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and immune response to pathogens (Li, Marin-Muller, Bharadwaj, Chow, Yao, Chen. 2009). Hence, the concept of personalized medicine will be more precise with a higher specificity and sensitivity in the treatment of diseases, and the limitation of adverse events occurrence.

Another advantage of personalized medicine is the economic benefits which a pharmaceutical industry could achieve with the technology. The idea of pharmacogenetics will help a pharmaceutical product to stay longer in the market without competition because there are fewer companies willing to conduct research in a small population (Dombey, Kaitin, Whitmore. 2013). In addition, there is hope that regulatory agencies will allow small clinical trials with targeted medicine, which in turns will accelerate the approval process. However, the downside with this comes down to whether the sample size used in personalized medicine is enough to prove a product’s safety and efficacy.
Nonetheless, pharmacogenetics will enhance the advancement of the market pull (generation of ideas due to unmet needs) and technology push (the exploitation of existing technology to find additional utility) in a way that it will benefit both pharmaceutical companies and the public (Whitmore, 20004).

References

 Dombey, Kaitin, Whitmore. (2013). The future of the medical product development. Retrieve from. https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_ 2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse %26id%3D_2651615_1%26url%3D.

 Li M, Marin-Muller C, Bharadwaj U, Chow KH, Yao Q, Chen C (April 2009). MicroRNAs: Control and loss of control in human physiology and disease. World Journal Surg,33 (4): 667–84. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19030926.

Whitmore, E. (2004). Development of FDA-regulated medical products: Prescription drugs, biologics, and medical devices. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press.