Help is on the way for African-Americans
JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Florida Times-Union reported that Robert Jones, 60, has given up his secret-recipe collard greens and smothered pork chops and homemade feasts he and his mother enjoyed for rare occasions.After seven bypass surgeries in two years, his eating habits and lifestyle have changed drastically – s have his mother’s.
Three years ago, Geneva Jones underwent open-heart surgery and now takes more than a dozen pills a day to help maintain her health. Her son drives her to and from doctor's appointments almost daily. But a recent clinical trial could help them with their history of heart problems.
In July 2001, Geneva Jones joined more than 1,000 U.S. patients - 10 in Jacksonville - in a clinical trial testing a new drug that could better help African-Americans with heart failure. The African-American Heart Failure Trial, or A-HeFT, targeted African-American men and women with moderate to severe heart failure and those whose hearts didn't pump blood efficiently. The trial was conducted at 170 U.S. sites, including Shands (Hospital) Jacksonville. It was designed to see if the drug BiDil, along with standard heart failure therapies, can reduce mortality and hospitalization rates and improve the quality of life for African-Americans with heart failure.
BiDil is two generic medications already available; it enhances the benefits of nitric oxide in heart patients. Nitric oxide, a substance produced by cells, protects the heart and arteries from damage.African-Americans suffering from heart failure are more likely to be nitric oxide deficient. The trial was expected to be completed in early 2005 but was stopped in July after researchers and NitroMed Inc., the company testing the drug, saw the drug had significant survival benefits for patients in the trial. You do all this drug development and you find two old drugs that work, it's amazing," said Dr. Alan Miller, University of Florida cardiologist and professor of medicine, who led the trial at Shands. "My theory is, why wouldn't we use this for everybody?"
BiDil is being examined for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 750,000 African-Americans have been diagnosed with heart failure in the U.S. This number is expected to grow to nearly 900,000 by 2010. There is no cure for heart failure and more than 50% of patients die within five years of diagnosis. African-Americans suffer a disproportionate incidence of cardiovascular disease.
"A-HeFT is the largest database ever in African-Americans with heart
failure and highlights the importance of African-American participation in clinical trials," said Malcolm Taylor, chairman of the Association of Black Cardiologists Heart Failure Steering Committee. Half of the patients in the trial received the study drug while the other half received placebos. While Geneva Jones doesn't know whether she received the drug or the placebo, she now will begin taking the new medicine, Dr. Miller said.
"I didn't know what was helping and what wasn't helping anymore," Geneva Jones said about her numerous medications. "I said `yes’ to the trial, and I hope the new medicine will help me."
Heart-failure facts
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in U.S.
African-American men and women. More than 40% of African-American men have cardiovascular disease versus 30% of white men. Nearly 40% of African-American women suffer from cardiovascular disease versus nearly 24% of white women. Black women have higher cardiovascular risk factors than white women of the same socioeconomic status.
- American Heart Association