There are a total of 17 families of drugs that are used for treating the heterogeneous group of cardiovascular diseases. We propose a comprehensive pharmacogenomic approach in the field of cardiovascular therapy that considers the five following sources of variability: the genetics of pharmacokinetics, the genetics of pharmacodynamics (drug targets), genetics linked to a defined pathology and its corresponding drug therapies, the genetics of physiologic regulation, and environmental-genetic interactions. Examples of the genetics of pharmacokinetics are presented for phase I (cytochromes P450) and phase II (conjugating enzymes) drug-metabolizing enzymes and for phase III drug transporters. The example used to explain the genetics of pharmacodynamics is glycoprotein IIIa and the response to antiplatelet effects of aspirin. Genetics linked to a defined pathology and its corresponding drug therapies is exemplified by ADRB1, ACE, CETP and APOE and drug response in metabolic syndrome. The examples of cytochrome P450s, APOE and ADRB2 in relation to ethnicity, age and gender are presented to describe genetics of physiologic regulation. Finally, environmental-genetic interactions are exemplified by CYP7A1 and the effects of diet on plasma lipid levels, and by APOE and the effects of smoking in cardiovascular disease. We illustrate this five-tiered approach using examples of cardiovascular drugs in relation to genetic polymorphism.