One of the key developments in patient treatment, which has the potential to revolutionise the future of healthcare, is the development of precision medicines.

Although every individual is essentially the same, there are variations in our make up. These subtle differences make certain groups of people more susceptible to specific medical conditions. It also means that each patient is affected by a disease or illness differently and will respond to treatments differently.

Until now, the majority of medical treatments have focused on the condition, so everyone diagnosed would receive the same course of treatment. Some would respond well, whilst there may be minimal improvement in others. Rather than a standardised solution, precision medicines focus on the patient. It offers the opportunity for more customised healthcare, where treatment is tailored to the individual patient.

This may sound like ideal, yet an impossible solution to deliver across the board to all patients. With the cost and time involved in pharmaceutical development and an already overstretched NHS, how can individual treatment plans ever become reality?

Effective Healthcare

Precision medicine isnt about starting from scratch; it is about the effective use of existing drugs, so those that are most likely to benefit from a specific course of treatment are prescribed it, whilst others patients are prescribed an alternative option. Whilst new drugs are always being developed and brought onto the market, precision medicine is not just about new innovations, but focuses on matching the individual patient to the best course of
treatment.

In order to offer more personalised treatment plans, patients would need to undergo more vigorous diagnostic testing. This would help to identify any specific genetic or molecular biomarkers that act as an indicator that this specific patient would benefit from certain treatments. The testing would need to be thorough to ensure accurate diagnosis.

Cancer Treatment

Oncology is one field where the development of precision medicines is taking significant leaps. The treatment of lung cancer is likely to be one of the first areas where a tailored treatment plan replaces the standard chemotherapy treatment given to most cancer patients. Through molecular profiling and tests of the genetic abnormalities in a tumour, healthcare professionals could soon be dividing patients into specific groups which are likely to be more responsive to certain courses of treatment.

By targeting treatments, only the patients that are most likely to benefit are prescribed an option. This prevents others who are unlikely to benefit from undergoing treatment plans which could have side effects and other risks. Correct diagnosis and treatment increases the chances of a positive response to treatment, which is an effective use of drugs that has the potential to save both lives and money.

Pharmaceutical Development

As accurate diagnosis is essential for the success of targeted healthcare, it is being widely accepted that the diagnosis tools and pharmaceuticals should be developed together. However, the development of precision medicine is not in isolation from other pharmaceutical developments. It is expected that personalised healthcare will work in harmony with other new developments.

Immunotherapy is one of these innovations. This is a treatment which supports the bodys own immune systems to fight the disease, as opposed to the drug completely taking over the natural processes. Another development is the formulation of control release drugs in
the battle against cancer.

Control Release Drugs

Control release drugs are often developed through the extrusion and spheronization process. Spheronization produces balls of active ingredient and excipient (which have been mixed through extrusion). These are individually coated during the extrusion and spheronization process http://www.caleva.com/ and placed into capsules to create the
necessary dose.

The coating allows non-compatible drugs to be delivered together in one dose and it can also be used to control the point at which the active ingredient is released in the digestive system. Spheronization also allows the drug to be more evenly and widely distributed. Controlled release is now being formulated for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumours. The process retains the bioactivity of the drug and ensures it is released at the most effective point in the body.

The Future of Healthcare

There is still considerable work to be done on the development of diagnostic processes and precision medicines to ensure that they are credible and reliable. There is also on-going debate on ethical issues, to ensure that all patients have access to genetic screening and molecular profiling when necessary, but that healthy individuals arent demanding them. Already there is considerable discussion around the fact that this technology opens up the possibility of standard genetic screening at birth. However, precision medicine could open doors for the future of healthcare.