Drugs are not targeted at particular races. That’s not how it works. Certain drugs are sometimes more effective in patients with a particular genetic variant, and less effective (or even harmful) for patients with a different genetic variant. A variant that is rare in whites may be common in blacks (and vice versa). This means that, for some drugs, the risk of certain side effects may be higher (or lower) in blacks relative to whites. When doctors are aware of these differences, they can give better care to their patients, thereby reducing inequities in health care.

That’s where genetics comes in. Of course there are all sort of other factors driving health inequities, including implicit bias, as you say. But population genetic studies like the ones I discuss in the piece can’t really say anything about that.