US begins trials for artificial blood in heart surgery:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Canadian company Hemosol is to begin Phase II clinical trials in the US of its oxygen-carrying artificial blood, Hemolink, in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Researchers will examine whether using Hemolink as a red blood cell substitute during CABG will lessen some of the adverse effects associated with the bypass procedure, such as bleeding disorders and blood pressure instability. Phase II trials of Hemolink in patients undergoing CABG are already underway in the UK and Canada. Toronto-based Hemosol is one of several companies developing blood substitutes (see Clinica No 812, p 14).