> I wonder: is it possible to bring a drug to market that is ineffective and sometimes fatal to most people without a genetic marker We already do this. A larg

> I wonder: is it possible to bring a drug to market that is ineffective and sometimes fatal to most people without a genetic marker We already do this. A large class of both antipsychotics and antidepressants require certain genes in order to metabolize properly and have the intended effect, instead of just giving a bunch of side effects with no benefit. These genes are not universal and not evenly distributed; people of certain ethnic backgrounds are dramatically less likely to have the requisite genes, which means that most antipsychotics and antidepressants literally don't work on them.