Sangart, Inc. Completes Enrollment in Second Phase III Study of Hemospan, a Novel Oxygen Transport Agent

    SAN DIEGO, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Sangart, Inc., a privately held
 biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and
 commercialization of therapeutic oxygen transport agents today announced
 that it has completed enrollment in the second Phase III trial of its lead
 product, Hemospan(R).
 
     Sangart expects the top line results from this trial to be available in
 the second half of 2008.
 
     The 370-patient randomized, double-blind, controlled Phase III study
 was conducted at 18 clinical sites in six European countries. Together with
 another Phase III study completed in March, the trials were designed to
 evaluate the safety and efficacy of Hemospan for preventing and treating
 hemodynamic instability, particularly hypotension, or low blood pressure,
 during primary hip replacement surgery.
 
     Dr. Robert Winslow, Chairman, President and CEO of Sangart, commented,
 "The completed enrollment in this second Phase III trial represents another
 significant milestone for Sangart as we advance the development of
 Hemospan."
 
     No similar oxygen transport agents are currently on the market in
 Europe or the United States. Extensive preclinical efficacy studies and
 earlier clinical trials indicate that Hemospan's novel oxygen delivery
 mechanism has the potential to enhance oxygenation of ischemic tissues and
 may provide a safe and effective alternative to blood transfusion,
 especially when blood is not immediately available.
 
     About Sangart
 
     Sangart is a privately held San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company
 focused on the research, development and commercialization of medical
 products designed for use as therapeutic oxygen transport agents and
 potential 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, was designed using unique polyethylene glycol
 conjugation to create a hemoglobin-based product that is intended to serve
 as an alternative to transfusion of donor blood.
 
     The key breakthroughs in the development of Hemospan 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 transport agents that
 can be used in lieu of transfused red blood cells during episodes of
 temporary blood loss, such as surgery or trauma.
 
     To learn more about Sangart, please visit the company's website at
 www.sangart.com.
 
 

     Media Contact:
     Richard Lewis Communications, Inc.
     (212) 827-0020
     Gregory Tiberend
     gtiberend@rlcinc.com
 
 

SOURCE Sangart, Inc.