CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that the American Red
Cross has signed a multi-year purchase agreement for the INTERCEPT Blood
System for platelets and plasma, which inactivates a broad spectrum of
viruses, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, spirochetes,
parasites and leukocytes and is intended to reduce the risk of
transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI) in platelet and plasma
components.
The American Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood products in the
United States. The Red Cross collects and processes approximately 40
percent of the blood supply, distributing about 780,000 platelet and 1.1
million plasma units last year to nearly 2,600 hospitals and transfusion
centers nationwide.
“The Red Cross is dedicated to blood safety vigilance including pathogen
reduction. The INTERCEPT Blood System will serve as an intervention to
protect patients against infection from emerging and potentially unknown
blood-borne viruses, bacteria and parasites," said Dr. Susan Stramer,
vice president, Scientific Affairs, Red Cross Biomedical Services.
The need for blood safety is large and global. Worldwide, nearly 100
million transfusions occur annually, and patients typically receive
multiple units of donated blood components during treatment. In many
cases, physicians and patients have no alternatives to blood
transfusions, and frequently these transfusions are lifesaving.
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 system is
designed to enhance the safety of donated blood components by
inactivating a variety of pathogens, as well as potentially harmful
white blood cells. It also allows blood centers to replace common blood
center safety measures, including bacterial detection, CMV screening,
and gamma irradiation.
The INTERCEPT Blood System is based on a simple premise – platelets and
plasma contain no functional DNA or RNA. However, pathogens and harmful
white blood cells all do. Pathogen reduction is designed to block the
replication process so that harmful viruses, bacteria, and parasites can
no longer multiply and cause disease. Unlike current blood testing
methods, pathogen reduction achieved by the INTERCEPT Blood System is
not limited to particular nucleic acid sequences or specific families of
pathogens. By neutralizing pathogens, the INTERCEPT Blood System offers
a proactive approach to reducing transfusion-transmitted infections,
even those for which there are currently no screening or testing methods.
“This agreement with the Red Cross represents a pivotal step toward
making INTERCEPT-treated components available to a majority of patients
throughout the U.S.," commented William "Obi" Greenman, Cerus’ president
and chief executive officer. “Working closely with the Red Cross as part
of the TRUE study in Puerto Rico has provided both organizations with
important operational experience that we will be able to leverage as the
INTERCEPT Blood System is broadly deployed at Red Cross sites
nationally.”
ABOUT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides emotional support
to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s
blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international
humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The
Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers
and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For
more information, please visit redcross.org
or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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 http://www.cerus.com
for information about Cerus.
INTERCEPT and INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.
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Source: Cerus Corporation