by Racial discrimination has been a critical issue in society. Such a phenomenon has raised tremendous and numerous opinions whenever the topic includes specific words like “race” and “ethnic groups.” Indeed, segregation and special treatment regarding a particular race or ethnic group are harmful to the inclusion of a globalized world. Still, sometimes the focus on particular ethnic groups based on the differences in the race in science might be beneficial, specifically in the medical field. Albeit the potential adverse effect on racial discrimination in society, personalized drugs based on differences among ethnic groups or races provides benefits to individuals’ health by reducing mortality and morbidity, saving time and resources for clinical treatment, and leading to potential solutions to perplexing causes of more severe complications on particular ethnic groups.
The application of the concept of race or ethnic groups in science might not equal the facilitation of racial discrimination in society due to the positive potential of understanding inherent differences among demographic groups regarding the mortality and morbidity of certain diseases in scientific research. In Ramamoorthy, Anuradha et al.’s research, they “evaluated demographic subgroup enrollment patterns in new therapeutic products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of select cancers—breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate.” Specifically, “Demographic factors, such as age, race, ethnicity, and sex, can affect exposure and/or response to drugs, and consequently affect treatment outcome (Ramamoorthy, Anuradha, et al.).” Such a result reflects the existing differences among different groups of people in society, which might cause various outcomes and results when considering certain diseases. Consequently, the separation of different groups is needed further to explore the mechanism and reasons behind these distinctions. During this process, the concept of “race” is inevitably applied based on the need. Still, the concept remains relatively neutral and objective due to its function to clarify the difference in diseases’ effects on different groups.
Besides, here are some examples where race remains as a relatively neutral concept for specifying the distinction of the diseases’ influence among different groups of populations: “an estimated 86% of Asian Americans have genes that make them hypersensitive to warfarin, a common anticoagulant drug, meaning they could experience uncontrolled bleeding as a side effect of the drug at lower dosages than would most white Americans. Meanwhile, up to 75% of Pacific Islanders respond poorly to the drug clopidogrel, a blood thinner, which leaves them at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. And albuterol, the most-prescribed asthma medicine in the world, is least effective in African Americans and Puerto Ricans (Konkel).” Clearly, the specified ethnic groups in those statements regarding the particular medical symptoms or reactions just stated neutrally and objectively. These are facts related to the nature of human beings, diseases, and drugs. In this case, it is unlikely that incorporating the concept of race in science, especially the personalized drug development process, would cause unfair and harmful discrimination to some extent.
Regarding the usage of the race concept during medical research, separation of subjects and personalized drugs based on race differences could also serve as a crucial element of saving time and resources for treating diseases. As a kind of means to distinguish different subjects in medical research and drug development, the incorporation of the concept of race or ethnic groups could significantly alter the current knotty situation in which some groups of populations do not have effective drugs to alleviate and eradicate the effect of some diseases and symptoms. For some minorities, because researchers haven’t studied many people belonging to the same ethnic group, no unique therapy exists that targets a disease’s particular genetic profile. Consequently, it leads to the trial and error process, which is time and resource consuming. Such a process could pose a heavy financial burden on patients and increase the risk of developing more dangerous complications. However, suppose further research focusing on the relationship between different races and the disease. In that case, it is possible that some practical drugs and treatments could be developed and save time and money for patients during clinical treatment.
For instance, enapil, a kind of drug which blocks the action of a protein known as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), “was shown to be more effective in Caucasian patients with a particular heart defect than in African Americans (Hunt).” Such a study led to a decrease in enapil utilization among African American patients (Hunt). Thanks to the study focused on the distinct effect of disease on different ethnic groups, the doctors do not have to repetitively use the relatively inefficacious drugs, which saves time, energy, and resources for both doctors and patients.
Additionally, considering the difference in ethnic groups and race also sheds light on the potential rationale of the unknown region in the medical field, and they might lead to the discovery of life-saving techniques and drugs. According to Anita Sil, a UCSF professor of microbiology and immunology, “we know that African Americans and Filipinos are much more likely [than white Americans] to have severe complications, but we don’t know why (Konkel).” Similarly, prostate cancer causes disproportional mortality among different ethnic groups. Notably, African American men were disproportionally killed by this specific cancer, while researchers still do not clearly explain it (Konkel). Since many existing diseases are still raging around and causing more adverse effects on particular ethnic groups’ health, it is necessary and important to understand and scrutinize the mechanism and correlations behind these still mysterious occurrences in society. With such a goal in mind, the use of the race concept is inevitable and crucial for the required comparison and contrast regarding the development of prospective drugs and medical treatment. Thus, the incorporation and application of the concept regarding different race or ethnic groups is beneficial to the medical research and eventually the public health, which is a vital sector of society. Suppose some specific factors are discovered to affect particular groups of populations’ tendencies to suffer a particular disease. In that case, the research based on different races could guide further social reformations or adjustments to alleviate the situation.
Although the usage of concept regarding races and different ethnic groups could cause more social injustice, like the Bidil as a personalized drug targeted African Americans with heart failure adds more financial pressure to them as minorities in society, it still provides people with some positive effects like the more profound understanding of the differences of mortality and morbidity among different ethnic groups, saving time and resources for clinical treatment, and shedding light on prospective solutions to some complications more severe to some groups of the population.
Literature Cited
Hunt, Sonia Y. “Pharmacogenetics, Personalized Medicine, and Race.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 2008, www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/pharmacogenetics-personalized-medicine-and-race-744/.
Konkel, Lindsey. “Who Will Benefit From Precision Medicine?” Who Will Benefit From Precision Medicine? | UC San Francisco, 2 Nov. 2020, www.ucsf.edu/magazine/benefit-precision-medicine.