Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that it has entered into a supply agreement with Centro de Transfusión de la Comunidad de Madrid (CTCM) for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets.
"We are pleased to work with CTCM in providing INTERCEPT Platelets to enhance the safety of blood components. As one of the largest blood banks in Spain, CTCM is an important organization within the Spanish blood banking community," noted Gualtiero Garlasco, general manager of Cerus Europe B.V.
CTCM provides blood and blood components to all hospitals in Madrid. Each year, CTCM manages approximately 250,000 blood donations allowing for the distribution of 45,000 units of platelets. Earlier this year, CTCM issued a public tender for the inactivation for part of its platelet components.
"In addition, the use of INTERCEPT double-dose kits should allow CTCM to benefit from operational efficiencies resulting from the production of two therapeutic doses from a single inactivation procedure. These operational efficiencies are expected to result in a net savings in platelet production costs and increase platelet availability," Garlasco continued.
The INTERCEPT Blood System leverages the fact that blood components do not require functional DNA or RNA, as opposed to pathogens and donor white blood cells. Pathogen inactivation via the INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to block the replication process so that harmful viruses, bacteria, and parasites can no longer replicate and cause disease.
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 the INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.
Forward-Looking Statements
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 operational efficiencies and the impact thereof on platelet production costs and platelet availability. 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, as well as other risks detailed in Cerus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Cerus' Annual Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, filed with the SEC on August 4, 2017. 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 disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
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