HemAssist: A drug you'll never use, but you'll be hearing more about

A few weeks ago, as part of my Year in Review series, I gave the somewhat tongue-in-cheek award (though the repercussions were serious) for Drug of the Year to Methylhexanamine, a stimulant that was responsible for a slew of positive tests and sanctions.

2011 is barely two weeks old, and already a new drug name is hitting the news in a big way, thanks to a piece by Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated. That drug is Diaspirin Cross-Linked Hemoglobin (DCLHb), or HemAssist. It is a Hemoglobin-based Oxygen Carrier (HBOC), part of a class of drugs that is engineered to carry oxygen.

READ ON...