**5.4. The economical impact**

Pharmacogenetics must allow not only the money saving through the prevention of a large number of side effects derived from the use of unsuitable drugs, but also it has to reduce the money spending on unnecessary drugs. In the U.S. there is an incidence of adverse effects of 6.2-6.7% of hospitalized patients, representing two million adverse drug reactions per year [61]. Of these, 0.15 to 0.3% are fatal, leading to about 100,000 deaths annually [62]. In Europe, the data are similar.

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Today, there are still few studies on the cost-effectiveness of pharmacogenetic studies, although considerable efforts have been made, including regulatory authorities [63-65]. We cannot forget that everyday genotyping platforms are more compact and economical and, as mentioned, even the whole genome sequencing of a patient will have an assumable cost, so it is not difficult to imagine that the benefits will overcome the costs and that the balance will be tilted towards the realization of these studies [66]. A practical example is found in the studies of mutations in the K-ras gene in colorectal cancer patients to decide about treatment with Cetuximab, which are rendering large amounts of data regarding the savings thanks to the genotyping of patients, avoiding ineffective treatment in 40% of cases.

In conclusion, the economical and clinical benefits of pharmacogenetics are day by day, clearly surpassing its costs. We need to have especialized personnel, to help us know how to interpret the pharmacogenetic information, always in close contact with clinicians and research advances. We cannot obviate this new and real tool for the benefit of our patients' health.
