By Michelle Slade
Associate Editor

Hemacare Corp. on Friday reported positive results from Phase I/II trials of itsPassive Hyperimmune Therapy (PHT) treatment for AIDS.

The Sherman Oaks, Calif. company said at the Fifth National AIDS Update Conference inSan Francisco that PHT improves survival, preserves T4 lymphocyte levels and maintainsimmune competence in patients who began treatment with circulating blood T4 lymphocytecounts of at least 50/cu. mm.

Patients who entered the study with T4 cell levels below 50/cu. mm showed no clinicalbenefits of the treatment.

T4 lymphocytes are attacked and destroyed by the AIDS virus, which results in a loss ofimmunity. The normal T4 lymphocyte range is 800-1,200/cu. mm.

AIDS symptoms usually appear at approximately 200/cu. mm, and patients with T4 levelsof less than 50/cu. mm, usually suffer from multiple opportunistic infections and may betoo ill to benefit from anti-HIV therapies.

Licensed to Hemacare from Canadian-based Medicorp in 1989, PHT requires monthlyinfusions of high levels of anti-HIV antibody plasma from healthy HIV-infected donors intosymptomatic patients with AIDS.

According to Hal Lieberman, Hemacare’s president, PHT isn’t intended toreplace other therapies, but to be used in combination with standard anti-viral therapiessuch as AZT, ddC or ddl.

Phase III trials of PHT will begin early in 1993, with a completion date scheduled for1995, according to Lieberman.

Greg Brown, an analyst with Vector Securities in Deerfield, Ill., said Hemacare’searly PHT data looks encouraging and has been well-received by the AIDS community.

"It’s not a long-term solution, but looking at the universe of AIDStreatments, it’s certainly making progress," said Brown.

Hemacare’s stock ( NASDAQ:HEMA) fell 38 cents per share on Friday to close at$7.63.