Variations in the human genome sequence sometimes play an important role in pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics. Previous studies have demonstrated a high degree of variation both between and within different ethnic populations. Areas covered: This review sought to summarize key SNPs in CYP2B6, CYP3A enzymes, CYP2C enzymes, UGT2 enzymes, ABCB1, ABCC2, SLCO1B1, NR1I2, and NR1I3 that have previously been associated with variability in antiretroviral pharmacokinetics. Additionally, the impact of ethnicity in these pharmacogenetics studies is discussed, and variation in findings between different ethnic groups is reviewed. A literature search of relevant published work was conducted between April 2017 and September 2017 utilizing the following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Ensembl. Keywords used included drug name, rs (SNP identifier) number, and known effect (if applicable). This report highlights the variation observed between different ethnic populations and subsequently the importance of stratification within pharmacogenetic studies. Expert opinion: Utilization of these findings in future pharmacogenetics studies would aid in the understanding of the extent and impact of genetic variants in different populations and the consequences this has for achieving sustained virological response to antiretroviral therapy.
Keywords: Antiretrovirals; enzymes; ethnicity; pharmacogenetics; transcriptional regulators; transporters.