FDA panel recommends BiDil for African-Americans

A key Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said it is recommending approval for BiDil, a heart-failure drug specifically designed to treat African-Americans. The drug is made by NitroMed, a Lexington, Massachusetts-based company. A study last year found a 45 percent drop in mortality rates among African-American heart failure patients who took the drug, a finding which raised eyebrows in the medical community.

The FDA panel voted unanimously to recommend approval, although several members expressed concerns about the use of race as factor. The news has led some pharma industry watchers to speculate that other drug companies may decide to experiment with drugs targeting narrow demographics. Analysts predict an $825 million market for Bidil if it is marketed exclusively to African-Americans.

- see this story from The Washington Post

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