CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS), a biomedical products company focused
in the field of blood transfusion safety, announced today that the
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Walter Reed), a component
of the Armed Services Blood Program, has begun routine use of the
INTERCEPT Blood System for apheresis platelets. Walter Reed transfuses
approximately 1,000 apheresis platelet units annually.
“Walter Reed now joins the growing list of centers in routine production
of platelets treated using the INTERCEPT Blood System,” commented
William “Obi” Greenman, Cerus’ president and chief executive officer.
“Similar to the National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed has decided
to convert 100% of their platelet production to now be pathogen-reduced
using INTERCEPT.”
The ability to transition production to INTERCEPT-treated platelets
aligns with the Walter Reed mission of continually improving patient
care and safety for the military patients served. INTERCEPT will provide
Walter Reed’s physicians, patients, and their families with peace of
mind that this innovative technology is being used to reduce the risk of
transfusion-transmitted infections.
ABOUT WALTER REED NATIONAL MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER (WRNMMC)
The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is one of the nation’s
largest and most renowned military medical centers. Recently dubbed “The
Nation's Medical Center,” and still the “President’s Hospital,” WRNMMC
represents the joining of the “Best of the Best” in military medicine
when National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center
came together in September of 2011, to form Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center as decreed by the Base Realignment and Closure
law of 2005. The WRNMMC vision is to serve military families and our
nation’s active duty, returning war heroes, veterans and our Nation’s
leaders.
ABOUT THE ARMED SERVICES BLOOD PROGRAM
Since 1962, the Armed Services Blood Program has served as the sole
provider of blood for the United States military. As a tri-service
organization, the ASBP collects, processes, stores and distributes blood
and blood products to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their
families worldwide. As one of four national blood collection
organizations trusted to ensure the nation has a safe, potent blood
supply, the ASBP works closely with our civilian counterparts by sharing
donors on military installations where there are no military blood
collection centers and by sharing blood products in times of need to
maximize availability of this national treasure. To find out more about
the ASBP or to schedule an appointment to donate, please visit www.militaryblood.dod.mil.
To interact directly with ASBP staff members, see more photos or get the
latest news, follow @militaryblood on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube
and Pinterest. Find the drop. Donate.
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 more information about Cerus.
INTERCEPT and INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.
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Source: Cerus Corporation