CER is compatible with pharmacogenomics
In a perspective published online this month in the New England Journal of Medicine, Mushlin and Ghomrawi described the need for Comparative-Effectiveness Research (CER), an item that is included in some form in both the House and Senate health care reform bills. In the paper, they state, "CER will create disincentives for the development of ‘me-too’ drugs and devices and render CER a catalyst for effective innovation." Currently, new drugs are approved based upon their average effectiveness in a general, diverse patient population. We would like to note: there's a need to distinguish between "me-too" drugs and drugs targeted to a specific population--we have to be careful not to remove incentives for personalized medicine. As we stated in an earlier blog, we support CER, in the context described by Francis Collins, "We need to be mindful of the goal of comparative effectiveness research and not lose all that we have gained in understanding how individuals differ and how that could be factored into better diagnostics and preventive strategies" (Pgx Reporter 10-28-2009). (Written with PharmGKB Curator, Connie Oshiro. )