Drugs & Clinical Trials | By November 30, 2009 | By Jennifer Gibson, PharmD | 3 Comments

One Size Does Not Fit All

Up to half of drug therapy is ineffective, according to recent statistics. This leaves patients’ diseases untreated, but also places them at risk for side effects and drug interactions. The reason for the unpredictability in the effectiveness of medication comes from a variety of factors: individual differences in enzymes that metabolize drugs, variations in drug transporters, ethnic differences, and environmental changes. For decades, the idea of personalized medicine — assessing and evaluating individual differences to tailor medicine and therapy regimens for the best results — has brought about new drugs and led to effective treatment of several diseases. However, now clinicians and researchers are returning to old drugs to optimize personalized therapy. Read more →