Personalized medicine and health equity: overcoming cost barriers and ethical challenges

Abstract

Personalized medicine (PM), which aims to tailor healthcare interventions to individual biological profiles, has emerged as a transformative approach in modern medicine. The rapid advancement of digital health technologies is playing an increasingly vital role in enabling this precision-driven model of care. This paper examines the potential of PM to transform healthcare and its implications for health equity, focusing on the cost barriers and ethical dilemmas that hinder its equitable implementation. It argues that while PM holds promise for revolutionizing treatment strategies by tailoring interventions to individual characteristics, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly central to achieving this goal. However, the reliance on advanced technologies, robust datasets, and specialized expertise can exacerbate existing disparities in healthcare access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The paper discusses the ethical considerations related to unequal access to PM, drawing on ethical theories to examine how these disparities might widen health inequities. It also explores innovative solutions and global health initiatives aimed at improving access, which may help align the benefits of PM with the goal of health equity.

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