in genotyping individuals, and subsequent effectiveness of the tailored versus untailored therapy (Roden et al., 2006). Our group recently completed a study in which cost effectiveness of smoking cessation tailored, based on genotype, was estimated and compared to the standard modalities of treatment available by using simulations run on the pharamacogenetic data available from our bupropion and NRT pharmacogenetic trials described above (Heitjan et al., 2008). Genetically tailored therapy was found to be more effective and less costly than standard NRT treatment; however, it was less efficacious and cost effective than bupropion or varenicline therapy (Heitjan et al., 2008). However, genetically tailored therapy may be more cost effective if the favorable genotype is neither too rare nor too common, if the interaction between treatment and genotype is substantial, and if the short-term outcome of therapy is a good predictor of longer term outcome (Heitjan et al., 2008). Further studies are necessary to examine the cost effectiveness of smoking-cessation therapy tailored based on the nicotine-metabolite ratio or genetic variation in nicotine-metabolizing enzymes.
