BiDil as a surrogate for pharmacogenomics: How medicine (doesn't) talk about race

Problem: In the United States minorities are disproportionately affected by chronic disease. Race-based pharmacogenomics is touted as one possible solution for this ongoing public health problem. Before more race-based medical therapies are created there needs to be research done into whether this is actually advancement, or rather, a setback for public health. Methods: Articles published over the past ten years that focused on pharmacogenomics and race were analyzed for this literature review. Articles were found on PubMed, Science Direct, and the websites for the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration. Results: There are three main categories of research done in this area: ethics of race-based medical therapies, science of race-based medical therapies, and standardization of race and racial concordance. Conclusions: The lack of literature analyzing effectiveness of these treatments, possible adverse effects of race-base medical therapies, and provider bias in assigning these drugs illuminates the need for further research into these fields.