BiDil
ORG
BiDil
NitroMed's only product, BiDil, was introduced with much fanfare, 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. Sales last year were only $4.5 million, with BiDil hampered partly by insurance reimbursement problems and possibly by its small marketing force, according to the University of Minnesota cardiologist who developed the drug, Dr. Jay N. Cohn.