Blood substitutes: PFC, Hemopure, Hemassist, etc.
As part of the public prosecutor’s investigation during the 2001 Giro d’Italia, blood substitutes such as Hemassist were reportedly discovered during a large-scale raid on June 6–7, 2001.
A final confirmation of the substances found and an assessment regarding a violation of the anti-doping regulations are still pending. This section is intended to provide information about blood substitutes.
Blood substitutes, also known as "artificial oxygen carriers," are essentially two types of red blood cell substitutes: oxygen carriers based on modified hemoglobin (HBOC, hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier) and perfluorocarbons (PFC).
BioPure Corporation is currently developing Hemopure, a polymerized hemoglobin based on bovine hemoglobin (http://www.biopure.com). The product is in Phase 3 clinical trials, but is reportedly already approved in South Africa.
Clinical trials of HemAssis, a cross-linked hemoglobin from Baxter, were halted in 1998 due to several deaths, and development of the product was discontinued.
Detection of doping with cross-linked hemoglobin
Thevis, M., Schänzer, W. Neue Nachweismethoden in der Dopinganalytik - Künstliche Sauerstofftherapeutika aus quervernetztem Rinderhämoglobin F.I.T., Wissenschaftsmagazin der Deutschen Sporthochschule Köln, 2 (2004) 10-12
Institute of Biochemistry at the German Sport University Cologne, Wilhelm Schänzer, June 16, 2001