Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41932843›Full record

ReviewClinical pharmacology and therapeutics2026

Actionable Pharmacogenomics and Essential Medicines: An Analysis of WHO and African Lists for Safer and Efficacious Drug Use.

Tinashe A Mazhindu, Mohamed Nagy, David Twesigomwe, Gaye Agesa, Janine Scholefield, Collen Masimirembwa

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tinashe A MazhinduAfrican Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology, Harare, Zimbabwe.ORCID 0000-0003-3446-3049
Mohamed NagyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Services and Sciences, Children's Cancer Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.ORCID 0000-0001-9807-788X
David TwesigomweSydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-5421-5512
Gaye AgesaAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Janine ScholefieldBioengineering and Integrated Genomics Group, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-9610-3976
Collen MasimirembwaAfrican Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology, Harare, Zimbabwe.ORCID 0000-0002-4053-212X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The World Health Organization Model Essential Medicines List and African national essential medicines lists (EMLs) detail drugs intended to be consistently available within national health systems, thereby supporting clinicians and pharmacists in making evidence-based treatment decisions. At present, these EMLs do not account for pharmacogenomics, despite known drug-gene interactions and the considerable genetic diversity found throughout Africa. In the absence of pharmacogenomic considerations, the medicines lead to sub-optimal treatment outcomes, especially across a continent such as Africa which represents more genetic variation that the rest of the world combined. Herein, we review EMLs from the WHO, and from 52 African countries, highlighting systemic medicines for which actionable pharmacogenomic-biomarker testing recommendations exist. Furthermore, we assess the feasibility of PGx-guided dosing in eight African countries by examining the availability of registered drug formulations that facilitate dose adjustment. The 2023 WHO EML comprised 447 unique systemic medicines, with 58 (13%) categorized as medicines with actionable pharmacogenomic biomarkers. African country EMLs collectively featured 774 such medicines, with an average of 294 per country (range: 125-465). On average, for each country one in every eight medicines in the Essential Medicines List was associated with established pharmacogenomic guidance. PGx recommendation. Cumulatively in African EMLS the most frequent drug classes with this designation are anti-infectives (25.6%), immunomodulators/antineoplastics (16.7%), and medicines for mental and behavioral disorders (14.1%). Analysis of eight African countries determined that implementability ranged from 75% to 96% based on product formulation and strength availability to enable drug or dose modification. We provide data that contributes towards a foundation of increasing evidence showing that integrating pharmacogenomic knowledge into the selection processes for essential medicines and ensuring the availability of appropriate drug formulations can enhance treatment safety and efficacy across Africa.

Indexed as

Drugs, EssentialPharmacogeneticsAfricaHumansWorld Health OrganizationDrugs, Essential

Identifiers

PMID41932843
PMCPMC13083375

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.