Prioritizing drugs for future clinical pharmacogenomics studies in Saudi Arabia: a generalizable multi-criteria framework

AIMS: Despite over 400 high-evidence drug-gene associations in pharmacogenomic (PGx) guidelines and drug labels, prioritizing drugs for clinical PGx research remains challenging when local outcome data are limited. In Saudi Arabia, PGx studies have primarily focused on variant frequencies rather than drug-specific outcomes. This study aimed to develop a scalable framework to prioritize most frequently prescribed drugs for future clinical PGx investigation in the Saudi population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 2,035 real-world reports of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or therapeutic inefficacy across 450 drugs. A multi-criteria scoring framework combined six weighted domains reflecting Genetic Plausibility (prior PGx evidence, family history, onset timing) and Clinical Significance (signal volume, issue level, issue rate). Robustness was assessed using sensitivity analyses and external evidence triangulation. RESULTS: ADRs accounted for ~75% of reports and produced the strongest prioritization signals. Top-ranked drugs showed convergence between real-world clinical signals, guideline-supported PGx mechanisms, and previously reported Saudi genetic data. The framework reproduced three clinically relevant drug-gene associations previously reported in Saudi cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: This Phase-1 initiative provides a structured, reproducible approach for PGx drug prioritization in Saudi Arabia and a practical roadmap for building locally relevant clinical PGx evidence.