CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) today announced that the INTERCEPT Blood
System for platelets and plasma has been approved for commercialization
in Brazil by the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA). The
approval marks the first time that a system to inactivate pathogens in
platelet and plasma components will be available in Brazil.
“With serious outbreaks of viruses such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya
becoming more common in Brazil, transmission of pathogens via blood
transfusion remains an ongoing threat,” commented Carol Moore, SVP,
Regulatory Affairs and Quality at Cerus. “This significant approval by
ANVISA represents an important step toward bringing the INTERCEPT Blood
System to Brazilian blood centers as a way to proactively combat against
transfusion-transmitted infections.”
Brazil represents the largest transfusion market in Latin America. Over
3.7 million whole blood and apheresis units are collected annually in
public and private collection centers, generating approximately 800,000
plasma and cryoprecipitate products and 160,000 pooled random donor and
apheresis platelet products for transfusion.
Cerus has partnered with the Comércio Exportação e Importação de
Materiais Médicos (CEI) for the sales, deployment, and support of the
INTERCEPT Blood System in Brazil. “CEI has a history of successfully
implementing innovative medical technologies in Brazil, and we see
INTERCEPT as the next logical step in safeguarding patients from
transfusion-transmitted infections,” said Paulo Pacheco, chief executive
officer of CEI.
ABOUT THE INTERCEPT BLOOD SYSTEM
The INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma, approved in Europe
since 2002 and in the United States since 2014, is designed to enhance
the safety of donated blood components by inactivating a broad spectrum
of enveloped viruses, non-enveloped viruses, Gram-positive and
Gram-negative bacteria, spirochetes, and parasites, as well as
potentially harmful white blood cells present in donor blood. INTERCEPT
is comprised of single-use platelet and plasma processing sets and an
ultraviolet (UVA) illumination device for the ex vivo preparation and
storage of pathogen-reduced whole blood-derived or apheresis plasma and
apheresis platelet components. The safety and efficacy of platelets and
plasma treated with the INTERCEPT Blood System has been extensively
evaluated in clinical studies and has been monitored and shown to be
safe in routine use through hemovigilance programs covering over 500,000
INTERCEPT-processed platelet and plasma components.
ABOUT CERUS
Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company focused in the field
of blood transfusion safety. The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to
reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections 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 of the INTERCEPT treatment is designed to inactivate established
transfusion threats, such as hepatitis B and C, HIV, West Nile virus,
and bacteria, as well as emerging pathogens such as chikungunya,
malaria, and dengue. Cerus currently markets and sells the INTERCEPT
Blood System for both platelets and plasma in the United States, 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 www.cerus.com
for information about Cerus.
INTERCEPT and INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.
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Source: Cerus Corporation