Subject: Rorer Group Unit Halts Sale of Blood Product in Britain
Date: Published: 10/7/86 57 lines
Source:  Wall Street Journal.  Copyright Dow Jones & Co. Inc. 

   Rorer Group Unit
   Halts Sale of Blood
   Product in Britain
    ---
   By Sonja Steptoe
   Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

   Rorer Group Inc. 's Armour Pharmaceutical Co. said it
withdrew its Factorate blood-clotting product from the market
in the United Kingdom after tests detected the antibody to
acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, in the blood of
two hemophiliac patients who used a discontinued form of the
product.
   Armour said it hasn't decided whether a world-wide recall
of Factorate, which also is sold in the U. S., will be
necessary.
   Armour said the product is made from human blood plasma
contributed by donors.  The pharmaceutical and health products
concern said the patients were treated "for some months" with
a form of the product that wasn't screened for the presence
of the antibody because the screening tests weren't generally
available then.
   A company spokesman said Armour recalled that form of the
product when they began to use the screening test.  He said
the product is "safe and effective" in its current form.
   The spokesman said it is possible that a donor for the
products used by the hemophiliacs had the AIDS antibody.
Presence of the antibody means that a person has been
infected with the AIDS virus, but doesn't necessarily mean
that the person will develop the disease.
   Fort Washington, Pa.-based Rorer began screening the
plasma for the presence of the AIDS antibody in 1985, along
with the rest of the industry, the spokesman said.
   Armour said it is "rigorously" investigating all data
concerning the patients and their medical treatment.  The
company also said it is consulting with the Food and Drug
Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and
government health authorities in other countries.
   Last year, Armour's world-wide sales of Factorate totaled
about $25 million.  The company's sales of the product in the
United Kingdom were less than $3 million, and its Factorate
sales in the U. S. were about $14 million.  Armour's total
sales last year were about $160 million.
   In 1985, Rorer Group earned $31.7 million, or $1.48 a
share, on sales of $762.2 million.  These results include
sales and earnings of Armour and USV Pharmaceutical Corp.,
which was acquired in January.

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