
Experts say that most drugs work for only about half the people who take them - jaydub
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/business/30gene.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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tokenadult
I think the article's suggestion is correct that this will eventually be a big
area for new medical testing products. Figuring out patient biochemical
individualities to customize prescribing medicines could have a huge impact on
the effectiveness of drug treatments.

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michael_dorfman
I think there's a pretty big leap of logic going on here. The article quotes
unnamed "experts" as saying "half of all drugs" are ineffective because of
genetic factors, but then offers details only on very tightly focused cancer
drugs.

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iamelgringo
Many drugs vary depending on a patient's own DNA, but there's also a host of
other factors that influence the effectiveness of a drug.

For instance, an antibiotic's effectiveness is much more a function of whether
the bacteria fighting is sensitive or resistant to that antibiotic.

