personalised medicines

Question 1

what is the definition of personalised medicines

Answer 1

the customisation of healthcare for a particular patient, tailored to their individual requirements including diagnosis, drugs used and treatments

Question 2

what are the 3 goals of personalised medicines

Answer 2

1) move away from the one size fits all approach- patient centred care
2) improved targeting of treatment- fewer side effects and better treatment outcomes
3) more accurate prescribing ie based on patients genome. cost is saved with reduced number of failed treatments- money can be saved to improve healthcare systems resources

Question 3

name 3 examples of personalised medicines

Answer 3

1) gene therapy
2) biologics/ immunotherapy
3) small molecules

Question 4

name limitations of personalised medicines

Answer 4

1) hard to identify patient differences
2) can involve expensive technology
3) invasive biopsy/ inpatient administration sometimes needed
4) currently only a limited number of patients treated (expensive)
5) privacy issues- companies will hold personal information about you
6) information may cause for individuals

Question 5

name the advantages of personalised medicines

Answer 5

1) more cost effective- less failed treatment
2) reduced side effects
3) more likely to be efficacious
4) facilitate prediction and prevention of diseases
5) improve patients quality and length of life
6) identify potential health problems before they emerge- allows patients to make lifestyle changes
7) more patient centred- moving away from one size fits all

Question 6

4 ways in which it will impact the NHS

Answer 6

1) radical change to practice and formularies
2) need retraining/ CPD
3) different counselling required
4) patients records (gene status) will need to be consulted before prescribing