CONCORD, Calif. & NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) and the Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD)
announced today that they have signed a three-year purchase agreement
for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma. BBD provides
blood transfusion products and services to hospitals and patients in
Delaware, Cecil County, Maryland, as well as Maryland's and Virginia’s
Eastern Shores. BBD supplies approximately 13,000 platelet and 21,000
plasma units per year.
"The implementation of the INTERCEPT system aligns with our mission of
providing safe, effective blood products that best serve our hospital
and patient community," said Roy Roper, president and chief executive
officer of BBD. "We are excited to be one of the first centers to adopt
pathogen reduction as a proactive measure to mitigate the risk of
transfusion-transmitted infections in our blood supply.”
"The majority of platelet transfusions occur in cancer patients, some of
which will receive multiple units over the course of their therapy. It’s
exciting and rewarding as a blood center to be in a position to
favorably impact the treatment of these patients by providing platelet
products that substantially reduce the risk of transmitting viruses and
bacteria, and limit the risk of transfusion mediated graft versus host
disease,” said Theresa Boyd, MD, Medical Director.
"We are very pleased that the Blood Bank of Delmarva has chosen
INTERCEPT to help protect patients against transfusion transmitted
agents such as bacteria and emerging pathogens," commented William "Obi"
Greenman, Cerus’ president and chief executive officer. "We look forward
to supporting Delmarva to fulfill their mission for improved blood
safety."
ABOUT BLOOD BANK OF DELMARVA
Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community
service organization that provides blood and blood components for
hospitals in the Delmarva region. For over 60 years, Blood Bank of
Delmarva has ensured a safe and continuous supply of blood to meet the
needs of over 20,000 patients annually. In addition to blood
provisioning, BBD operates a full service regional laboratory providing
testing services for blood collection centers. BBD is FDA licensed, a
member of America's Blood Centers, and accredited by AABB. For more
information, visit http://www.DelmarvaBlood.org.
ABOUT CERUS
Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company focused in the field
of blood 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 http://www.cerus.com
for information about Cerus.
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 regarding the expected impact
of implementing the INTERCEPT Blood System at the Blood Bank of Delmarva.
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 implementation and use of
the INTERCEPT Blood System and other risks detailed in Cerus' filings
with the SEC, including exhibit 99.1 of Cerus' current report on Form
8-K filed with the SEC on January 5, 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