The FDA is trialling snapshot populations for better clinical trials
It has been known for quite some time that the effects of medicines can be different, depending on the patient’s gender or ethnicity.
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For example, the sedative zolpidem, used to help people with insomnia, is known to work differently on women and men – female patients are usually prescribed just half the dose prescribed for male patients.
Similarly, a common treatment for high blood pressure, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, have been shown to work less effectively in black patients than in white patients.
According to Medpage Today, these differences will become more and more important in the future, as medicines are more routinely tailored to the person as an individual.
Snapshots
In order to investigate this phenomenon further, with the aim of improving how new drugs are prescribed, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently providing snapshots of drug trials.
The FDA, a federal agency of …