John T. Gourville's case examines a product-launch decision involving Oxyglobin and Hemopure. This source note records its place in the commercial history of hemoglobin oxygen carriers.
The publisher places the case in early 1998: veterinary-market Oxyglobin had received approval, while human-market Hemopure was still being tested. The management question was whether to launch Oxyglobin immediately or wait. A concern was that the veterinary product's price could shape expectations for the later human product, whose approval remained uncertain.
Why it belongs in this archive
Scientific development is only part of a technology's history. This case adds a commercial perspective: how to introduce related products into different markets while regulatory and pricing questions remain open.
Read it alongside Biopure's later annual reports to keep the decision as described in 1998 separate from subsequent company-reported milestones. The people, product history and regulatory records are documented in the related sections below.
The case is not a clinical trial or a regulatory decision. Its publication by Harvard Business School does not establish the safety or effectiveness of Hemopure, Oxyglobin or a new BHOC formulation, and does not imply endorsement of BHOC.
This note is based on the publisher's public catalogue description, not a review of the full 22-page case. The copyrighted case is not reproduced or hosted here. Source note by Archil Jaliashvili · .