Pharmacogenetics and nicotine addiction treatment

This review focuses on the current status of, and future directions for, pharmacogenetic research on nicotine dependence and smoking cessation treatment. Pharmacological treatment involving nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion for nicotine addiction and smoking cessation has been shown to be efficacious when provided in combination with behavioral support. Cessation rates remain somewhat modest, however, and one possibility is that success rates may be enhanced by offering treatments tailored to an individual's genotype. Nonetheless, research on this issue remains in its infancy, and although the scope for individualized treatment tailored to genotype is promising, there are substantial practical, ethical and social considerations that must be addressed before such research is translated into clinical practice.