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- Re: Questions left unansweredShow More
The author raises several important and interesting questions. Ideally, if pharmaceutical research were being done so as to advance 1) the science of patient care and 2) cost-effective, practical solutions to common clinical problems, then we would know the answer to the questions about generic substitutes for BiDil, because the question would have been studied. Under the current system, the last thing a manufacturer wou...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Race-Based Medicine and Research: Limited Inquiry Leads to Limited AnswersShow More
To the cogent article by Brody and Hunt, I would reinforce the following points:
First, it is critical that all who participate in the planning, conduct, and translation of research understand that the scientific questions we can answer are limited both by what we ask and how we seek the answer. If we ask the question and seek the answer in a limited fashion (as in the evaluation of BiDil by A-HeFT), then the...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Questions left unansweredShow More
(1) The article states that the benefits of the A-HeFT trial "should be readily achieved." Is there evidence that prescribing the generics used to make BiDil works as effectively as BiDil would? Are there any factors, other than the number of required dosages per day, that support a preference for BiDil?
(2) Does prescribing the generics rather than BiDil pose any separate risks to patient health?
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Competing Interests: None declared. - The Dangers of Racially-Tailored MedicineShow More
The Dangers of Racially-Tailored Medicine
Sharona Hoffman
In their informative article, the authors correctly assert that race is not a biologically valid concept and analyze the economic and political motivations for the development of BiDil. They also identify factors other than race that explain differences in disease vulnerabilities and treatment responses, including genetic variations, health habit...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Drugs and RaceShow More
It is a honor to make comments on Drs. Brody and Hunt's article on BiDil. I had the pleasure of working with Howard as a medical student, philospher, faculty member and as member of our department's health team. It did not surprise me that he would write a paper on the ethics of Race Based Pharmaceuticals. As usual he is on the cutting edge of a very provocative issue. In my early travels to the southern part of the U.S. I re...
Competing Interests: None declared.