CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that it has entered into
an agreement with Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE:HAE) for the sale of
Haemonetics’ Acrodose Platelet pooling system with Cerus’ INTERCEPT
Blood System for pathogen reduction of whole blood derived platelet
components.
Under the terms of the five-year agreement, Cerus will have the right to
sell Haemonetics’ Acrodose PL and Acrodose PLus systems along with its
own INTERCEPT Blood System as a combined product offering. The agreement
will commence upon FDA approval for use of the INTERCEPT Blood System
for the treatment of pooled platelets derived from whole blood
collections, for which Cerus plans to submit an application to the FDA.
“The Acrodose systems are used to manufacture the majority of pooled
whole blood platelet components produced in the U.S., representing
approximately 10% of annual platelet production overall,” commented
William “Obi” Greenman, Cerus’ President and Chief Executive Officer.
“This important collaboration with Haemonetics will allow blood centers
interested in pathogen reduction to have access to the FDA-approved
Acrodose system for creating pooled platelets that meet the INTERCEPT
processing specifications.”
“Whole blood platelets are a cost-effective production method for some
blood centers, potentially made more attractive when combined with
INTERCEPT by mitigating hospital concerns regarding the potential
increased risk of transfusion-transmitted infections,” said Byron
Selman, President of Global Markets for Haemonetics. “We believe that
the ability to pair our Acrodose system with pathogen reduction via the
INTERCEPT Blood System can provide blood centers with additional options
for maintaining availability of platelets for transfusion.”
Whole blood donations can be processed to yield a unit of red blood
cells, a unit of plasma, and a unit of whole blood platelets.
Approximately four to five units of whole blood platelets are typically
pooled together to yield one adult dose of platelets for transfusion.
The Acrodose PL and PLus systems are the only FDA-approved methods
allowing blood centers to store pooled whole blood platelets for up to 5
days. If the Acrodose systems are not used, pooled whole blood platelets
may only be stored for up to 4 hours, leading to increased handling and
logistical demands.
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 the INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus
Corporation.
ABOUT HAEMONETICS
Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE) is a global healthcare company dedicated to
providing innovative blood management solutions for our customers.
Together, devices and consumables, information technology platforms, and
consulting services deliver a suite of business solutions to help
customers improve patient care and reduce the cost of healthcare for
blood collectors, hospitals, and patients around the world. Haemonetics’
technologies address important medical markets: blood and plasma
component collection, the surgical suite, and hospital transfusion
services. To learn more about Haemonetics, visit http://www.haemonetics.com.
Acrodose is a trademark of Haemonetics.
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 potential
submission to and approval by the FDA of the use of the INTERCEPT Blood
System for the treatment of whole blood derived platelet components and
the market opportunity for a collective INTERCEPT and Acrodose system.
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 the commercialization and
market acceptance of, and customer demand for, the INTERCEPT Blood
System; the uncertain and time-consuming regulatory process; that Cerus
may not have the resources to support multiple regulatory submissions;
adverse market and economic conditions; 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, 2015, filed with the SEC on November 6, 2015. 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.
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Source: Cerus Corporation