HemaCare Gets OK to Test AIDS Treatment

HemaCare Corp., a Sherman Oaks-based provider of blood products and services to hospitals, said it received approval from the state to proceed with Phase III clinical trials for a new blood-based treatment for AIDS patients.

HemaCare said that in the Phase III trials, 600 patients would be treated with HemaCare’s Immupath product to establish the safety and efficacy of the treatment. Immupath uses donated human plasma that is rich in a variety of anti-HIV antibodies. HemaCare said that unlike other treatments for AIDS, Immupath is nontoxic. HemaCare has been testing the product since 1990.