Practical recommendations for pharmacogenomics-based prescription: 2010 ESF-UB Conference on Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics

The present article summarizes the discussions of the 3rd European Science Foundation–University of Barcelona (ESF–UB) Conference in Biomedicine on Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics, which was held in June 2010 in Spain. It was focused on practical applications in routine medical practice. We provide practical recommendations for ten different clinical situations, that have either been approved or not approved by regulatory agencies. We propose some comments that might accompany the results of these tests, indicating the best drug and doses to be prescribed. The discussed examples include KRAS, cetuximab, panitumumab, EGFR–gefitinib, CYP2D6–tamoxifen, TPMT–azathioprine–6-mercaptopurine, VKORC1/CYP2C9–warfarin, CYP2C19–clopidogrel, HLA-B*5701–abacavir, HLA-B*5701–flucloxacillin, SLCO1B1–statins and CYP3A5–tacrolimus. We hope that these practical recommendations will help physicians, biologists, scientists and other healthcare professionals to prescribe, perform and interpret these genetic tests.