Big-Pharma and Human Genome Sequencing

What is the impact of Human Genome Sequencing on Big Pharma ? Currently only few peoples genome is sequenced completely. The lucky few are publically known scientist and businessmen like Sergei Brin, Craig Venter, Eric Lander. Currently, this service is a privilidge of not only rich and famous but also smart and educated crowd. However, The price of whole genome sequencing is getting cheaper and cheaper everyday. The ultimate policy is to make this a public service with a bill of $ 1000 for every individual. Upon paying $ 1000 you purchase life long information on which drugs to use, which ones not to use, which diet to have which one to avoid, which health insurance, policy to choose, which one to avoid. This technology will restructure many industries. Health Care Industry and Big-Pharma will be most effected.

More than 196,000 people die and 2.2 million are injured each year by adverse reactions to prescription drugs. (Alternative Medicine, March 2000). There are an estimated 800,000 web sites which sell prescription drugs on the Internet and often mis-prescribed drugs. In the near future, when you plug-in your gene info into your lab-top the system will recognize you and you can not get drugs that are not matching you. That is good for you but bad for the big-Pharma less and less drugs will be sold.

However, the Big-pharma is going to identify 10 times more drug target genes. That means drug market will explode. However, this will be a controlled explosion where you get only what you need.

In Sum, this revolution is good for you and good for the Big-Pharma too.

A complete list of organisms and their sequencing status can be viewed at:

http://www.genome.gov/10002154

The drop in the price of whole DNA sequencing.
http://www.eyeondna.com/2008/02/11/whole-genome-sequencing-costs-continu...