CONCORD, Calif. & ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) announced today that OneBlood, Inc. has
signed a multi-year purchase agreement for the INTERCEPT Blood System
for platelets and plasma. The INTERCEPT System reduces the risk of
transfusion-transmitted infection in platelet and plasma components by
inactivating a broad spectrum of viruses, gram-positive and
gram-negative bacteria, spirochetes, parasites and leukocytes.
“Safety of the blood supply is OneBlood’s top priority,” said Don
Doddridge, President and Chief Executive Officer of OneBlood. “The
INTERCEPT pathogen reduction system provides an additional layer of
safety to our existing testing processes and enables us to deploy
cutting-edge pathogen reduction technology to further ensure safe blood
for our hospital partners and their patients,” said Doddridge.
OneBlood distributes approximately one million blood products to more
than 200 hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout most of Florida,
parts of Southern Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.
“In a time when new and emerging pathogens such as chikungunya and
dengue fever are starting to appear in the United States, the INTERCEPT
system enables OneBlood to take a proactive approach in supplying their
hospitals with pathogen-reduced platelets and plasma,” said William
"Obi" Greenman, Cerus’ President and Chief Executive Officer.
ABOUT THE INTERCEPT BLOOD SYSTEM FOR PLATELETS AND PLASMA
The INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma 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. Recognized as a safe, effective, and reliable
choice of European blood centers for over a decade, Cerus’ INTERCEPT
Blood System for platelets and plasma received FDA approval in December
2014.
The safety and efficacy of INTERCEPT processed platelets has been
evaluated in 10 controlled clinical studies, with over 800 study
subjects. Routine use of INTERCEPT processed platelets has been
monitored in over 4000 patients in an active hemovigilance studies
conducted by Cerus in Europe, and additionally through national
hemovigilance reporting systems in France (since 2009) and Switzerland
(since 2010). The safety and efficacy of plasma prepared with the
INTERCEPT Blood System has been evaluated in six clinical studies
including a total of over 500 patients. Routine use of INTERCEPT plasma
has been monitored in over 50,000 INTERCEPT plasma components transfused
to almost 10,000 patients in an active hemovigilance study conducted by
Cerus in Europe, and additionally in over 150,000 INTERCEPT plasma
components through France's national hemovigilance reporting system in
2009 through 2011. For U.S. product information, see http://www.intercept-usa.com.
ABOUT ONEBLOOD
OneBlood is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community asset responsible for
providing safe, available and affordable blood to more than 200 hospital
partners and their patients throughout most of Florida, parts of
Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. OneBlood distributes nearly one
million blood products annually, operates more than 80 donor centers and
deploys nearly 200 of their signature Big Red Buses throughout their
service area for blood drives. To learn more about OneBlood please visit www.oneblood.org.
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.
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Source: Cerus Corporation