title: Prescribing BiDil: is it black and white?
abstract: The approval of BiDil as an adjunct treatment in self-identified blacks with heart failure raises questions regarding the underlying etiology of drug response in this target population and the ability to accurately identify patients who are most likely to benefit. Preliminary data have indicated that differences in nitric oxide synthesis between groups may account for differences in response to BiDil and genetic studies have begun to elucidate the mechanism of these differences. Until more accurate selection criteria are developed to identify patients who are most likely to benefit, both clinicians and the general public will need to consider the unique issues raised by BiDil.
authors.affiliation: Center for Genomic Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA. susanne.haga@duke.edu
authors.forename: Susanne B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Haga
authors.forename: Geoffrey S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ginsburg
mesh_terms: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044383:Black People; D017277:Drug Approval; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004656:Enalapril / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D006830:Hydralazine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007548:Isosorbide Dinitrate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D004338:Drug Combinations; C431665:isosorbide-hydralazine combination; D006830:Hydralazine; D004656:Enalapril; D007548:Isosorbide Dinitrate