PUBLIC CHOICE THEORY AND RHETORIC: ADVANCING PHARMACOGENOMICS THROUGH HEALTH IN AFRICA

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) carry a significant public health burden on the African continent. An individualized yet systematic approach to drug selection and dosing may provide a solution. Pharmacogenomics, the study of how inherited genetic variations affect drug response, may be that solution. However, the successful implementation of pharmacogenomics on the African continent will require a systematic combination of evidence, legislative prescriptions, informed policy and key stakeholders all acting in concert. Public Choice Theory-the notion that individuals are guided by self-interest-combined with good rhetoric undergirds the implementation process. In this article, we examine a theoretical policy development process for the clinical implementation of pharmacogenomic testing.