Making the Case for Personalized Medicine

As lawmakers, industry, consumer groups and the general public debate the future of health care, personalized medicine continues to focus attention-with good reason. In a time of unprecedented scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements, personalized health care has the capacity to detect the onset of disease at its earliest stages, preempt the progression of disease, and, at the same time, increase the efficiency of the health care system by improving quality, accessibility, and affordability.

With that in mind, I’m excited to announce the release of the fourth edition of Personalized Medicine Coalition’s signature document, The Case for Personalized Medicine, which notes the steady development of the field. Most notably, in 2006, there were 13 prominent examples of personalized drugs, treatments and diagnostics on the market. In 2011, there were 72, and today there are 113-a 57 percent increase in the last three years.

Along with this steady growth, we also examine opportunities for the continued development and adoption of personalized medicine as several factors come into play: the cost of genetic sequencing declines, the pharmaceutical industry increases its commitment to personalized treatment, and the public policy landscape evolves. While momentum is building, much remains to be done to keep up with the evolving developments in science and technology, according to the report. With all this progress comes a greater responsibility to actually help patients by advancing personalized medicine to make it standard practice in the near future.

According to The Case, personalized medicine can accomplish the following:

• Shift the emphasis in medicine from reaction to prevention
• Direct the selection of optimal therapy and reduce trial-and-error prescribing
• Help avoid adverse drug reactions
• Increase patient adherence to treatment
• Improve quality of life
• Reveal additional or alternative uses for medicines and drug candidates
• Help control the overall cost of health care

But to advance personalized medicine, we need intelligent coverage and payment policies, clearer regulatory guidelines, and modernized professional education to prepare the next generation of doctors and other health care professionals for personalized medicine.

PMC is pleased to partner with BIO and release this report at the Personalized Medicine & Diagnostics Forum at this year’s meeting. The Forum takes place next Wednesday, June 25 at 9 a.m. PT in room 7AB and will explore many of the salient issues facing personalized medicine, as discussed in The Case. If you’re onsite at BIO this year, come check out the forum. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the current personalized medicine landscape and what’s to come.

The new edition of The Case for Personalized Medicine will be available online June 25 at 9 a.m. ET, but in the meantime, check out PMC’s other publications here.

---

This blog post originally appeared in BIOtechNow, the blog of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).