Drug targeting: is race enough?

摘要

The expected approval in the United States of the first drug targeted to a specific racial group is sparking debate about the future of 'personalized' medicine. Enthusiasts predict a future in which people are given genetic tests to help choose the drug to which they will respond best. But some experts worry about the precedent of accepting race as a crude marker for underlying biological differences — which could still leave many individuals being treated with drugs that don't work well for them. Last week, an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that BiDil, a drug for congestive heart failure, should be approved for sale with a label designating African Americans as the target population. The FDA usually follows the advice of its experts and is expected to make its decision by 23 June.