July 31, 2007

Race medicine article: A magnet for controversy

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The article "Race in a Bottle" by Jonathan Kahn supplies a critical analysis of the approval of the first ethnic drug, a heart failure medication for African-Americans. It provoked an immediate reaction from NitroMed, the drug's maker, and from the Association of Black Cardiologists, both of which defended the designation of self-identified race as an imperfect but still useful means of ascertaining genetic variation within a population and, by consequence, differences in drug response that warranted FDA approval. "Race in a Bottle" is free to readers. And we have included a package of responses and related links as part of our InFocus features section. Readers can access responses from NitroMed, the Association of Black Cardiologists and a reply from the author. We are very interested in reader opinions on this highly controversial subject.

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