NitroMed’s only product, BiDil, was introduced with much fanfare last year, after the Food and Drug Administration made it the first drug approved for use by a single racial group.
The American Heart Association officially designated BiDil as a major treatment advance after research indicated it could extend the lives of black heart-failure patients by 43 percent over 18 months. And some financial analysts had predicted annual sales could eventually reach $825 million, based on BiDil’s use by about 750,000 black heart failure patients.
But if the first year is any gauge, BiDil does not seem destined to live up to those expectations. The product got off to a slow start after its introduction last July.
That’s what you get when you essentially combine two generic medications (a nitrate and hydralazine).
