Sangart, Inc. Announces Positive Phase II Results For Hemospan(R) Oxygen Transport Agent; Presentation Of Results At 35th Critical Care Congress

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Sangart, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing oxygen transport agents, today announced positive results from a Phase II clinical trial involving Hemospan(R) (MP4) in hip surgery patients. Hemospan(R) is a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier designed to serve as an alternative to blood transfusions.

The Phase II clinical trial studied 90 patients undergoing hip arthroplasty procedures at six hospital sites in Sweden. Patients were randomized to receive either 250 mL or 500 mL of Hemospan(R) or a control solution (Ringer's acetate) prior to induction of spinal anesthesia. The primary objective of the trial was to further assess the safety of Hemospan(R) in this group of patients aged 50 to 89. A secondary objective was the demonstration of preliminary efficacy indicators based on primary endpoints of reduced hypotensive episodes and vasopressor use.

Hemospan(R) was found to be well tolerated in the study group with no serious adverse events attributable to the product noted during the trial.

With regard to efficacy, the percentage of patients with hypotensive episodes was significantly lower in the Hemospan groups (46% in the 250 mL group, 42% in the 500 mL group) compared to 87% in controls (P<0.025). Although not statistically significant, the incidence of intraoperative vasopressor use was also less in the Hemospan(R) groups (17% in the 250 mL group and 13% in the 500 mL group) compared to controls (32%). Mean heart rate was less in both treated groups versus controls (P<0.02), with no differences in PR or QTc intervals.

Additional results from the study will be presented on January 8, 2006 at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 35th Critical Care Congress in San Francisco.

Robert M. Winslow, M.D., Sangart's Chairman and CEO, commented, "This clinical trial adds considerable support to our belief that Hemospan(R) is a significant advance in the effort to develop a safe and effective oxygen transport agent. Based upon these results Sangart will remain fully committed to advancing this product as intensively, thoughtfully and responsibly as possible."

Sangart's approach to the development of oxygen transport agents employs novel technology, the result of more than a decade of peer-reviewed research into the mechanism of oxygen transport by cell-free hemoglobin. Preclinical and clinical studies indicate that Hemospan(R) is free of harmful vasoactivity and provides targeted oxygen delivery to tissues at risk of oxygen deprivation.

About Sangart

Sangart is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of medical products designed for use as alternatives to blood transfusions.

Dr. Robert Winslow, a world-renowned authority in the field of oxygen transport, founded Sangart in 1998. In the two decades prior to founding Sangart, Dr. Winslow and his colleagues studied and defined mechanisms of oxygen transport by cell-free hemoglobin solutions, funded by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. The counterintuitive discoveries by Dr. Winslow's group on the effective action of oxygen transport agents have been patented and published in numerous scientific articles. From this experience, Sangart's lead product, Hemospan(R), was designed using unique polyethylene glycol conjugation to create a hemoglobin-based product that is intended to serve as an alternative to donated blood.

The key breakthroughs in the development of Hemospan(R) were the understanding of the mechanisms of vasoconstriction and the development of simplified production methods that are designed to make the final product commercially viable. These breakthroughs laid the groundwork for Sangart's business concept of developing cost-effective oxygen carriers that can be used in lieu of transfused red blood cells during episodes of temporary blood loss, such as surgery or trauma.

Sangart's corporate headquarters are in San Diego, California. To learn more about Sangart, please visit the company's website at www.sangart.com.

CONTACT: Sangart, Inc., +1-858-455-0966

Web site: http://www.sangart.com//