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Two regional Blood Transfusion Services of the Swiss Red Cross to
adopt Cerus' INTERCEPT pathogen inactivation for plasma components.
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Implementation is expected to start in the first quarter of 2013.
CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that it has signed
a two-year purchase agreement with two regional Swiss Red Cross Blood
Services for deployment of the INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma in
Lausanne and Zurich. These two pilot centers supply an
estimated 15,000 plasma units annually.
"We are committed to providing patients in Switzerland with the
highest quality blood components available," said Dr. Beat M. Frey,
director of the Swiss Red Cross Blood Service in Zurich. “Considering
the escalating threats to the blood supply from emerging infectious
agents, we need to adopt proactive measures in addition to the
traditional testing strategies in order to maintain transfusion safety.
Based on our extensive experience with INTERCEPT platelets, we expect a
simple and successful implementation of the INTERCEPT plasma process.”
Prof. Jean-Daniel Tissot, chief physician of the Swiss Red Cross Blood
Service in Lausanne, added, "The implementation of INTERCEPT for
plasma will further safeguard the blood supply, and is the next logical
step in the paradigm change of pathogen inactivation for all blood
components in the future.”
“We are honored that Swiss Red Cross centers in Zurich and Lausanne have
chosen INTERCEPT as their pathogen inactivation technology for plasma,”
said Caspar Hogeboom, president of Cerus Europe. “We look forward to
meeting their high standards and potentially extending the
implementation of INTERCEPT plasma to other Swiss Red Cross centers in
the future.”
The INTERCEPT platelet system is currently used by all 13 Swiss Red
Cross blood centers. Switzerland produces approximately 35,000 platelet
units and 50,000 plasma units for transfusion annually. To date, the
INTERCEPT Blood System is the only technology approved in Switzerland
for pathogen inactivation treatment of platelet and plasma components on
a single platform.
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 the number of
plasma units that may be treated by the Swiss Red Cross using the
INTERCEPT Blood System, the expected implementation schedule for the
Swiss Red Cross centers in Zurich and Lausanne and the success thereof,
potentially extending the implementation of INTERCEPT plasma to other
Swiss Red Cross centers in the future, and other statements related to
future pathogen inactivation for blood components. 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 its plasma supply agreement with the Swiss Red Cross does not
contain minimum purchase requirements and that the volume of purchases
may be less than anticipated thereunder, risks respecting Cerus’ ability
to meet its supply obligations, risks respecting adverse decisions or
actions by regulatory agencies, risks associated with Cerus’ ability to
achieve broader market acceptance of its INTERCEPT Blood System
products, and 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, 2012, filed with
the SEC on November 8, 2012. 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