Policy Brief 69 by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Personalized medicine tailors interventions to an individual patient’s genetics and context. The process of understanding an individual’s genetic and molecular makeup is expensive but does not lead exclusively to high-cost treatments. It can enable targeted prevention and more cost-effective treatment selection. Personalized medicine requires huge amounts of personal (genomic) data, which can only be collected and managed effectively if there is trust, appropriate infrastructure and training. Strong, transparent governance can balance the needs of patients and research, build trust and encourage the sharing of personal health data for the public good.