Pharmacogenomic diversity among Arab populations: A systematic review

TL;DR

This study reviews pharmacogenomic data from Arab populations to better understand genetic differences affecting drug responses and highlights the need for improved data collection and regional resources.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of pharmacogenomic allele frequencies in Arab populations, identifying key variants and gaps in current data.

Findings

Allele frequencies for most clinically actionable variants are similar across Arab countries, but some show significant differences.

Pooled analyses reveal deviations from Middle Eastern reference datasets like gnomAD-ME for key drug-response variants.

The study highlights the need for standardized reporting and a regional pharmacogenomics resource.

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics enables precision pharmacotherapy by linking genetic variation to drug response, yet Arab populations are underrepresented in global reference datasets. We systematically synthesized pharmacogenomic allele-frequency evidence across Arab countries, focusing on clinically actionable genes, to describe population variation, identify high-priority variants, and highlight research gaps. We analyzed 295 studies including 94,346 individuals from 19 countries, pooled country-level allele counts for frequently tested variants, and compared pooled estimates with Middle Eastern reference frequencies. Across most loci, allele-frequency profiles were broadly similar between countries, but several variants showed marked, locus-specific differences with direct relevance to anticoagulants, statins, thiopurines, antidepressants, and fluoropyrimidines. Evidence was uneven across countries and often limited by inconsistent genotyping and incomplete reporting of haplotypes and structural variation. These findings support variant-focused implementation, underscore the need for better population coverage and standardized reporting, and motivate development of a regional pharmacogenomics resource to improve the safety and effectiveness of therapy.

•Synthesized pharmacogenomic allele frequencies from 295 studies across 19 Arab countries•Most actionable variants show similar frequencies with locus-specific differences•Pooled analyses identify deviations from gnomAD-ME for key drug-response variants•Supports variant-focused implementation and regional pharmacogenomics resources

Synthesized pharmacogenomic allele frequencies from 295 studies across 19 Arab countries

Most actionable variants show similar frequencies with locus-specific differences

Pooled analyses identify deviations from gnomAD-ME for key drug-response variants

Supports variant-focused implementation and regional pharmacogenomics resources

Health sciences; Medicine; Clinical genetics; Human genetics

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