A meeting point for the clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics in Latin America

The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMP), through the Network of Ibero-American Medicines Authorities (Red EMI) and in coordination with the Ibero-American Network of Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics (Rebef), organized last Wednesday the conference “The Clinical Was organised. Implementation of pharmacogenetics in health systems: situation in Spain and perspectives in Latin America. Spanish experts and specialists from different Latin American countries discussed the challenges and opportunities arising from the clinical implementation of this discipline in national health systems with the aim of providing a meeting point, training, debate and transfer of knowledge between researchers and practitioners ., and thus promote personalized medicine for the benefit of patients.

The Director of AMPs, María Jesús Lamas, was in charge of opening this seminar, which included the participation of César Hernández, General Director of the General Portfolio of Services of the National Health and Pharmacy System of the Ministry of Health; Adrian Llerena, expert EMA In the working group in charge of Pharmacogenomics and coordinator of IMPaCTWP_Pharmacogenetics; among other experts.

Regarding the recent approval of the Common Catalog of Genetic Tests, Lamas said, “It’s a day of celebration, it’s been a long journey so that today we have a catalog of pharmacogenetic biomarkers that help make drugs more effective and safer ” and Genomics of the National Health System (SNS). A milestone for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases with high health impact, such as rare and oncological diseases, which will improve access to personalized medicine, as explained by Hernandez.

The inclusion of these tests in the general portfolio of SNS services was one of the experiences that were included in the debate that also x-rayed the state of pharmacogenetics in Latin America. The main challenges cited by experts are to align clinical practice with the incorporation of biomarkers and their adaptation to the population of each country, taking into account Latin American ethnic diversity.

One of the experts who delved deeply into the issue was Nicaraguan Ronald Ramírez, expert in pharmacovigilance and advisor to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), who stressed the need to establish a strategic training plan for health professionals, Which can be implemented properly. New advances in pharmacogenetics, strengthening pharmacovigilance systems to detect potential adverse effects of drugs, and working towards more affordable genetic analysis.

In this regard, Eduardo Tarazona Santos, professor of genetics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, stressed that “inexpensive precision medicine using simple tests such as PCR should be considered.” The need for specific training in this matter for health professionals, as well as the lack of national guides and regulatory coherence, were some of the challenges highlighted by experts at the conference.