CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) announced today that Russia’s Federal
Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) has awarded contracts for the purchase
of 19 INTERCEPT Blood System illumination devices for blood centers
throughout the country. Cerus will supply the INTERCEPT Illuminators
through a Russian distributor.
“We expect these contracts will substantially expand the number of blood
centers in Russia who can provide safer, INTERCEPT-treated platelets and
plasma,” said William ‘Obi’ Greenman, Cerus’ president and chief
executive officer. “They form a foundation for growth in INTERCEPT kit
sales as these centers move into routine production of INTERCEPT
platelets and plasma.”
INTERCEPT was selected over competing technologies under a supply
contract issued by FMBA, the Russian federal agency responsible for
managing national healthcare policy in the area of blood donation. The
company expects that, with the purchase of the new INTERCEPT
illuminators, over 40 Russian centers will be capable of producing
INTERCEPT platelets and plasma.
ABOUT CERUS
Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company focused on
commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. The
INTERCEPT system is designed to reduce the risk of
transfusion-transmitted diseases by inactivating a broad range of
pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites that may be present in
donated blood. The nucleic acid targeting mechanism of action enables
INTERCEPT treatment to inactivate established transfusion threats, such
as hepatitis B and C, HIV, West Nile virus and bacteria, and is designed
to inactivate emerging pathogens such as influenza, malaria and dengue.
Cerus currently markets and sells the INTERCEPT Blood System for both
platelets and plasma in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States,
the Middle East and selected countries in other regions around the
world. The INTERCEPT red blood cell system is in clinical development.
See http://www.cerus.com
for more information.
INTERCEPT and the INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus
Corporation.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Any
statements contained in this press release that are not statements of
historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, statements relating to potential growth
in the use of the INTERCEPT Blood System, including potential future
sales or revenue growth, and statements related to future events. These
forward-looking statements are based upon Cerus’ current expectations.
Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking
statements as a result of certain factors, including, without
limitation, risks associated with demand for the INTERCEPT Blood System,
including the risk that Cerus’ distributor may not be able to maintain
its supply agreement with FMBA or that the volume of purchases may be
less than anticipated, risks respecting Cerus’ ability to meet its
supply obligations, and risks respecting adverse decisions or actions by
regulatory agencies, as well as other risks detailed in the Cerus'
filings with, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including in
Cerus' quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30,
2011, filed with the SEC on November 3, 2011. You are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this press release. Cerus does not undertake any
obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new
information, future events, changed assumptions or otherwise.
Source: Cerus Corporation