Test Of Blood From Cows Approved [View All]

POSTED: 1:24 pm EST December 14, 2006

The Navy's latest proposal to test a blood substitute on 1,100 trauma victims appears more likely to earn a go-ahead from regulators who had blocked the experiment over safety concerns.

The Navy wants to test the product, derived from cow blood, on civilian trauma victims in emergency situations. It proposes doing so without obtaining their consent in advance, as is customary in clinical trials.

The substitute blood, called Hemopure, would be given on the way to the hospital to patients ages 18 to 69 who have lost dangerous amounts of blood. It would substitute the saline fluids typically given in ambulances when donated blood is unavailable for transfusion.

Three times since June 2005, the Food and Drug Administration has blocked Hemopure trials from starting. Each time, it has cited safety concerns. Its manufacturer, Biopure Corp., based in Cambridge, Mass., contends that the benefits of Hemopure outweigh its risks.
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<snip> Researchers say blood substitutes can both counter a dangerous drop in blood pressure in bleeding victims and carry oxygen from the lungs to the body. Saline fluids can do the former but not the latter. While blood can do both, it has its own limitations. Unlike blood, blood substitutes theoretically could be stored for years and then used without concern for infection or blood type.