Physician doubts and counselling shortages threaten impact of profiling on pharma
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
A large prospective survey of the psychological impacts of genetic testing – the largest ever such study by a factor of 10 – suggests that anxiety about insights to their medical future is not a factor that is likely to delay the advent of widespread testing. Indeed, it seems more likely that a shortage of genetic counsellors and the discomfort of primary care physicians will hold back the field. And for the pharmaceutical industry, genetic profiling alongside advice from pharmacists to patients is likely to play a key role in facilitating pharmacogenomics-led drug choices that create greater compliance in the use of medicines to treat chronic conditions.