New blood 'booster' tested in UK
A London hospital is leading a worldwide trial of a new blood-derived drug designed to aid the recovery of patients with heavy blood loss.
MP4OX is processed using expired blood stocks and seeks to replicate the function of red blood cells in carrying oxygen around the body.
It is being given to patients who have lost large amount of blood in 56 centres around the world, with the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, London, leading the clinical trials.
Here, Claire Rourke of the Royal London Hospital explains how the MP4OX trial is being conducted, using "double blind randomisation" to ensure accurate impartial results.
She shows how either the real drug or a placebo is selected in the hospital's labs, according to instructions contained within a sealed paper envelope, and how the drug or a placebo is then covered in a black plastic bag so that neither the clinicians or patient know what is being given.
01 Oct 2012
- From the section Health