A case for designing race-specific drugs
On a wider scale, researchers believe that the differences in genotype between people of different ethnic backgrounds could have enormous implications in drug development in the future.
On a wider scale, researchers believe that the differences in genotype between people of different ethnic backgrounds could have enormous implications in drug development in the future.
The shining example is NitroMed's BiDil (isosorbide dinitrite/hydralazine), which was originally rejected by the FDA as its effectiveness in treating heart failure was not statistically significant in the general population. However, when a double blind randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in a group of 1,050 African American patients suffering from heart failure the results were astonishing. The mortality rate in those given BiDiL was so much lower than those taking placebo that the trial had to be stopped early for ethical reasons, and it is now approved for use exclusively in black people with heart failure. It is the first race-specific drug to reach the market and is unlikely to be the last as our understanding of the difference in the genetic make-up of people of different races increases.