Dr. Will Powers on the Genetics of Post-Drug Syndromes

SIDEfxHUB editorial interview write-up with Dr. Will Powers at the April 2026 PFS/PSSD/PAS Summit. Powers describes several years spent collecting genome data one patient at a time from people affected by post-drug syndromes, initially through transitioning patients who were also taking finasteride and later from people affected by PFS specifically, and reports finding patterns consistent with patients' accounts. Per RxISK's first-hand summit account, the findings do not currently point to a cure or something broken that can be repaired; they may instead help identify who could run into problems before starting one of these drugs or before stopping, and which options to avoid. Powers reportedly sees a different pattern in PSSD than in PFS, and is seeking data from post-isotretinoin cases where he has far less to work from. The work is explicitly framed as early-stage, non-peer-reviewed pattern-finding presented at a research meeting, not a result; the summit group was working toward a consensus statement due before the end of 2026.