ABSTRACT
Advancements in molecular genetics coterminous with the computational capacity to process high throughput biodata have given new impetus for charting a new paradigm in pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine (PM). This chapter examines the notion of autonomy and its paradigmatic import to genomic and PM, in particular. Confidentiality and privacy have been significant bedrocks of patient–physician relationship (PPR) in the Hippocratic medical tradition. In fiduciary theory, healthcare providers have the obligation to protect the most vulnerable in their care and herein the patients. The prospects of pharmacogenomics and PM are magnifying seemingly intriguing questions about IC in genomic medicine and research. Respect for persons requires obtaining fully informed consent at the outset of diagnostic testing or research. Genetic stigmatization remains one of the controversies and perhaps unavoidable snags in the development of pharmacogenomics and PM because genes are biological identifiers. Excessive reliance on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may perniciously lead to genetic essentialism analogous to the adverse impacts of the eugenics movement.
