Physician views of cytochrome p450 genotyping and pharmacogenetics

Pharmacogenetics has the potential to revolutionize medicine, but its clinical use has been slow to materialize. The genes that encode the cytochrome p450 (CYP) drug metabolizing enzymes are some of the most widely studied genes in pharmacogenetics. As a research institution preparing to offer clinical genotyping of CYP genes, we sought to understand how physicians view pharmacogenetics and clinical CYP genotyping. Sixty one physicians responded to our email requesting participation in an online survey. Our findings show that physicians are aware of CYP enzymes and are interested in the clinical use of CYP genotyping. The results suggest that physician education may increase the likelihood that physicians will use genotyping. In addition, there may be a roll for genetic counselors in answering patient questions as the clinical use of pharmacogenetics increases. The information gained from this study will be used to optimize clinical CYP testing at Mount Sinai.