As an avid "news-aholic", I ran across this article which I thought would be of interest. This was in Healthday News, June 20,2008. Hopefully this isn't a repeat news item.

"A blood substitue product called HBOC-201 proved safe and effective in a six-week Phase III multi-center clinical trial, a new study reports.

In all, 688 patients, ages 18 and older, who had elective orthopedic surgery initally received either one unit of blood (about one pint) or an equivalent one unit (65 grams) of HBOC-201, which is a hemoglobin based oxygen carrier. Patients could receive up to 10 units of the blood substitute or unlimited blood transfusions over six days. The patients were evaluated daily and six weeks after their surgery.

The study, published in the June issue of the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, was funded by the Biopure Corporation, which makes HBOC-201.

The need to develop an alternative to red blood cells is being driven by a predicted shortfall of more than 4, 000, 000 units of blood worldwide, according to background informatoin in the study.

Written by Denise Grady"