Personalized medicine gaining traction, but faces multiple challenges, says Tufts CSDD

While development of personalized medicines has grown since the human genome was first sequenced in 2001, biopharmaceutical sponsors face a number of hurdles that are impeding more rapid market uptake, according to a recently completed study by the USA-based Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

14 years after the human genome was initially sequenced, paving the way for development of personalized medicine, 13% of drugs marketed in the USA today post pharmacogenomic information on the label, but developers continue to encounter challenges relating to basic science, regulatory and reimbursement policies, and, equally critical, clinical adoption, according to Tufts CSDD.

"The biopharmaceutical industry is increasingly committed to translating genomic discoveries into personalized medicines, but it needs to overcome scientific, regulatory, and economic challenges," said Joshua Cohen, associate professor at Tufts CSDD, adding: "In particular, the continued development of personalized medicine depends on identifying biomarkers and developing clinically useful diagnostic tests."