Dr Luke Chen, while talking about the various hurdles faced by the company, says, "The greatest challenges have been obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals in the countries where we provide our test kits. Since our technologies are associated with adverse drug reactions (ADR) induced by several popular but inexpensive generic drugs, it is difficult in concept to prescribe a costlier companion diagnostic test with these generic drugs."

Diagnostic test leaders, including Quest Diagnostics, Lab Corp, Arup Consult and medical centers such as Mayo Clinic and UCLA, have begun screening patients for HLA-B*1502 prior to prescribing carbamazepine and phenytoin in prevention of SJS/TEN. Over 50 hospitals and diagnostic testing centers in Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines have also started to screen patients for HLA-B*1502 prior to prescribing the drugs. In 2011, Pharmigene intends to expand its reach into key regions such as Europe, China, India and Japan among other countries.

On receiving the BioSpectrum Asia Pacific Emerging Company of the Year Award for 2011, Dr Luke Chen says, "We at Pharmigene are honored to accept this award and to be recognized for our efforts in bettering the world by helping healthcare providers and patients making better informed decisions about their care. We are proud to receive the recognition from BioSpectrum and will continue to work to improve the world of personalized medicine."