In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first "race-based" drug. Called BiDil(pronounced "bye-dill"), it was intended to treat congestive heart failure 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 hailed by some as a means to improve the health of African-Americans, a community woefully underserved by the U.S. medical establishment. However not everyone is so sure.
Take a look at this clip of Ann Morning, Associate Professor of Sociology at NYU discussing pharmacogenomics and this new era of racialized medicine.
- What role has science played in the social construction of race?
- What do you think are the potential implications of race-based medications like BiDil?