Biopure Says Hemopure Is Safe, but Holds On to Data

Biopure(BPUR Quote) said Monday that a statistical analysis of its human-blood substitute proves the experimental product is safe, but the biotech company refused to release any data to support its claim.

The company's announcement, in the form of a press release, comes two weeks after TheStreet.com uncovered mounting evidence that Hemopure, its oxygen-carrying red blood cell substitute, was unsafe and that Biopure executives appear to be scrambling for ways to portray the product in a more positive light.

On Monday, the company said that safety trials for Hemopure met its primary endpoint, which was to prove that "patients treated with Hemopure have outcomes no worse than patients treated with allogenic red blood cells per statistical methodology previously agreed to by the [Food and Drug Administration]." ...