The response of individual patients to the same drug given in the same dose varies considerably for several substances. Many patients will expect the desired drug effect, some may suffer from well-known adverse drug reactions, others may experience no effects, and very rarely a patient will die from severe side-effects. It is currently very difficult for physicians to prescribe the optimal drug in the optimal dose for each patient, since prediction of a patient's response to a specific drug is rarely possible. From a clinical point of view, excessive numbers of patients suffer from adverse drug reactions. In the USA such reactions are estimated to be from the fourth to sixth leading cause of deaths in hospital patients1. In addition, the cost burden is tremendous. A large percentage of health budgets are spent on inefficient drug therapy. The application of pharmacogenetic knowledge offers the opportunity of individually tailored, safe and efficient drug treatment.
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