Drug disposition: to phenotype or genotype

The promise of ‘precision prescriptions’, provided by the use of genetic information on individual patients, is receiving increased attention, as indicated by reviews in both general medical journals [1–3] and in the lay press [4,5]. It is thought that knowledge of the genetic makeup of a patient with respect to pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) determinants will provide an indication of how that patient will respond to a particular drug. The remit of this sub-group is to review the impact of genetic variability on PK behaviour and its implications for drug development and use.