News......
Hemagen to Support Chagas' Disease Study in Pregnant Women
WALTHAM, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 17, 1997--Hemagen Diagnostics Inc. (NASDAQ:HMGN)(NASDAQ:HMGNW)(BSE:HGN) is pleased to announce its participation in a study of seroprevelance of antibodies to T. cruzi (Chagas' disease) among pregnant women in Houston, Texas. The company has had an FDA cleared kit for detection of Chagas antibodies for over a year. The disease, prevalent in Latin American countries, appears to be increasing its presence in the United States.
The study is actually being performed by Cecilia DiPentima, M.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, under the direction of Morven S. Edwards, M.D. and in collaboration with Lu-Ju Hwang, M.D. at the University of Texas (Houston) School of Public Health. Preliminary data has shown that a small but significant number of women with Hispanic surnames have tested positive with appropriate confirmation. Dr. Gregory Chiklis, Hemagen's associate director of research and development, has stated that "these studies may lead to an important marker in assessing the health status of pregnant women, especially those with Hispanic surnames."
After seeing the preliminary data, Dr. Carl Franzblau, president of Hemagen, said that the company will definitely continue to support the study. Ultimately, the study will involve 4,000 samples taken from pregnant women. Results will be available late in 1998 from the Baylor College of Medicine.
Hemagen Diagnostics Inc. develops, manufactures and markets more than 110 FDA-cleared proprietary medical diagnostic test kits used to aid in the diagnosis of autoimmune and infectious diseases and to measure important constituents in human blood. The company focuses on markets which offer significant growth opportunities.
Except for any historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties which are described in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports and filings.
CONTACT:
Hemagen Diagnostics Inc.
William Franzblau, 781/890-3766
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