Race in a Bottle

dc.contributor.authorKahn, Jonathan
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-14T15:00:26Z
dc.date.available2019-08-14T15:00:26Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.description.abstractTwo years ago, on June 23, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first “ethnic” drug. Called BiDil (pronounced “bye-dill”), it was intended to treat congestive heart failure—the progressive weakening of the heart muscle to the point where it can no longer pump blood efficiently —in African-Americans only. The approval was widely declared to be a significant step toward a new era of personalized medicine, an era in which pharmaceuticals would be specifically designed to work with an individual’s particular genetic makeup. Known as pharmacogenomics, this approach to drug development promises to reduce the cost and increase the safety and efficacy of new therapies. BiDil was also hailed as a means to improve the health of African-Americans, a community woefully underserved by the U.S. medical establishment. Organizations such as the Association of Black Cardiologists and the Congressional Black Caucus strongly supported the drug’s approval. A close inspection of BiDil’s history, however, shows that the drug is ethnic in name only.
dc.description.urihttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mail/
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/j0hs-c3t2
dc.identifier.citationKahn, Jonathan (2007) Race in a Bottle. Scientific American.com.
dc.identifier.otherEprint ID 769
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/22772
dc.subjectChronic Illness & Diseases
dc.subjectHealth
dc.subjectPublic Health
dc.subjectPharmacotherapy
dc.subjectethnic groups
dc.subjectethnic drug
dc.subjectFood and Drug Aministration
dc.subjectpharmaceuticals
dc.subjectpharmacogenomics
dc.subjectAfrican Americans
dc.subjectheart disease
dc.subjectgenetic differences
dc.subjecthealth disparity
dc.subjectdrugmakers
dc.subjectrace-specific patent
dc.subjectrace-specific drugs
dc.titleRace in a Bottle
dc.typeArticle

Files