What is this article about?
Patient responses to medicines vary widely and the reasons for this are diverse and complex. It is estimated that genetic factors account for 20 to 95% of patient variability in response to individual drugs. Genetic influences on drug metabolism interact with other factors such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, disease states, concomitant medicines and social factors, determining the outcome from treatment with any pharmacological agent. There is some confusion as to which term to use - 'pharmacogenetics' or 'pharmacogenomics?'
