Oops!... you are doing it again : pharmacogenomics and the biologisation of ethnoracial categories on drug labels

In this paper I explore how pharmacogenomic findings regarding the impact of genetic variability on patients’ responses to drugs translate into drug labels. Despite growing recognition that such categories fail to reflect human genetic diversity, they continue to be applied in prescribing information, reinforcing outdated notions of race in medicine. By analysing pharmacogenomic data, I demonstrate that racialised labels offer no epistemic benefits and are methodologically flawed. Moreover, their widespread use in the pharmaceutical industry not only undermines scientific accuracy but also risks perpetuating racial biases in healthcare. Finally, I argue that guidelines and standards established by various stakeholders – including research funders, pharmaceutical regulators, global databases, and standards-developing organisations – can inadvertently reproduce frameworks rooted in race (and racist) science. They should therefore be subject to critical examination and, where necessary, revision.