Members of the Personalized Medicine Coalition were right to be bullish on the prospects for personalized medicine, and the PCM itself is to be congratulated for its vision and leadership in promoting the cause. It is our pick for Health Futures Organization of the Year, 2006 .

2006 was certainly a banner year for personalized medicine, but it only marked the beginning and there remains much to be done before it becomes the standard of care. In particular, the financial issue raised in 2001 remains an obstacle. That issue arises primarily out of the expense of lengthy clinical trials. Pharmaceutical companies will risk the investment in trials if they think there is a blockbuster payoff — if the candidate drug looks likely to be marketable to millions of patients or, like “orphan” drugs, at least be sold at very high prices to compensate for the low volume. Over time, with better diagnostic targeting of groups and individuals most likely to respond to a new drug, the cost of trials may come down somewhat, but a way must be found to reduce their size and length without compromising research validity and patient safety.

Who knows?… The Health Future of the Year for 2007 may provide a way to do just that.