Subject: FDA Approves Tests Of Imre Corp. 's Filter For AIDS Treatment 
Date: Published: 10/11/88 49 lines
Source:  Wall Street Journal.  Copyright Dow Jones & Co. Inc. 

    Technology:  
    FDA Approves Tests
    Of Imre Corp. 's Filter
    For AIDS Treatment
    ----  
    By James P. Miller
    Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

    Imre Corp. said it received Food and Drug Administration
 approval to begin clinical testing of its Prosorba
 blood-filtration device as a treatment for victims of AIDS. 
    The biomedical concern's Prosorba is designed to filter a
 patient's blood outside the body, removing immune-blocking
 factors that inhibit a patient's ability to combat disease.
 The tests will be to see whether the device can remove the
 AIDS virus from a patient's blood.
    In Seattle, a company spokesman said the 12-to-18-month
 tests will "hopefully" begin before year end.
    The tests will involve an as-yet-unknown number of
 patients, and will be restricted to patients who have tested
 positive for the acquired immune deficiency syndrome virus
 and who have at least one infection related to the disease.
 All the patients will be undergoing other treatments as well
 as blood filtration, but to preserve the integrity of the
 test, they won't be receiving anti-viral therapies.
    The announcement of the FDA's approval drove up Imre's
 share price yesterday.  The stock was quoted at $3.125 bid, up
 37.5 cents, in over-the-counter trading.
    The Prosorba immuno-adsorption device has already received
 approval for commercial sale to treat the blood-clotting
 disorder known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, or
 ITP. While ITP isn't limited to AIDS victims, it often
 strikes members of that group.
    Imre said the Prosorba column also has shown promise as an
 experimental treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma, a form of cancer
 that often attacks AIDS victims.
    "Because of the excellent response rates we achieved in
 AIDS-related ITP and (Kaposi's), we are very eager to test
 the effectiveness of the Prosorba column in fighting the AIDS
 virus," said a company official.

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