Cerus expands Intercept blood product line with new set for
platelets
23 April 2009
Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) has received CE mark approval for a
new configuration of its INTERCEPT Blood System, allowing a single
treatment procedure to produce two pathogen inactivated platelet units
for transfusion. Use of the new double-dose platelet set will
significantly decrease blood centre cost and labour associated with
production of INTERCEPT platelets.
“Cerus is committed to offering an inactivation treatment that is not
only highly effective against pathogens, but also cost-effective and
user-friendly for blood centers,” said Claes Glassell, president and CEO
of Cerus Corporation. “We believe that INTERCEPT pathogen inactivation
is already an affordable solution for improved blood safety. The further
cost-savings resulting from the double-dose platelet processing set will
make INTERCEPT an even more attractive choice compared to alternative
blood safety technologies such as bacterial detection.”
The double-dose platelet processing set facilitates economical
treatment and storage of double-dose platelet collections, which are
estimated to account for approximately half of European apheresis
platelet collections, and for the majority (60 – 100%) of apheresis
collections in key markets such as Germany, UK, Ireland, Switzerland and
the United States.
Double-dose procedures help blood centers maximize yield from their
donor pools and reduce their operating costs by collecting the
equivalent of two platelet doses during a single donation. The new
platelet set can also be used to treat double-dose units prepared from
whole blood-derived platelet pools.
Bacterial contamination of platelets is the most frequent
transfusion-transmitted infection, with an estimated contamination rate
of approximately one in 2000 platelet units. Platelet recipients often
receive multiple transfusions, potentially increasing a patient’s risk
of receiving contaminated platelets to one in several hundred.
Though other blood components may also harbour bacteria, platelets
carry special risk due to room-temperature storage that allows bacteria
to multiply in the interval between collection and transfusion. The
INTERCEPT Blood System inactivates high levels of Gram-positive and
Gram-negative bacteria, as well as providing protection against a broad
range of other transfusion-transmitted pathogens and also white blood
cells.
About the intercept blood system
The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to reduce the risk of
transfusion-transmitted diseases by inactivating a broad range of known
and emerging pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and parasites, as
well as harmful white blood cells that may be present in donated blood
intended for transfusion.
The system inactivates pathogens using a proprietary illumination
device, process and active compound. The INTERCEPT Blood System is
designed for easy integration with routine blood center operations, and
treated platelets are approved for storage up to seven days according to
local guidelines.
The INTERCEPT Blood System has received CE mark approvals for
both the platelet and plasma systems, and may replace gamma irradiation
for protection against transfusion-associated graft-vs.-host disease.
The INTERCEPT Blood System has customers in 18 countries.
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