Pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes toward Pharmacogenomics in Zawia, Libya

Background: Pharmacogenomics became essential in pharmacy practice, focusing on the effect of genome variants on patients' drug response. It aims to optimize pharmacotherapy and minimize the side effects of medications. Pharmacists play a crucial role in providing pharmacogenomic services. Objective: To assess knowledge and attitudes toward pharmacogenomics among pharmacists in Zawia, Libya. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among community pharmacies. Participants were asked to answer a 21-closed ended questions to evaluate their knowledge and attitude regarding pharmacogenomics. Results: The total number of respondents was 50. A bout two third of participants 64% had bachelor degree and 62% learned about pharmacogenomics from university lectures. Slightly more than half 54% thought that the information they received about PGx enabled them to understand the effect of genetic variants on drug response. Most (>50) participants knew that human genetics can affect the response, interindividual variation, and inter-ethnic variations in drug response. A total of 68%of participants knew that PGx has an important role in identifying drug- drug interaction. However, only 36% knew that FDA provides clinical evidence for PGx testing in the labeling of many drugs. The majority of respondents 84% believed that PGx testing can improve their future work in choosing the right drug. Nevertheless, half of respondents wanted to apply PGX in their future work and 46% of participants wanted to know more about PGx. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that pharmacists in Zawia had fair knowledge and positive attitudes towards PGx. PGx education is required to support the implementation such a valuable service into clinical practice in Libya