Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that investigators from
blood centers in Sweden, Belgium, France and Slovenia will present their
experience with the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma
during a leading international transfusion safety meeting, the XIIth
International Haemovigilance Seminar taking place in Dubrovnik, Croatia
from February 17 to 19.
“INTERCEPT platelets demonstrate
comparable therapeutic efficacy to conventional platelet components with
no increase in platelet usage”
Dr. Folke Knutson of the University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, will
present one year's experience with universal adoption of the INTERCEPT
platelet components in which he observed a 66 percent reduction in
adverse transfusion reactions for all patients, and no reported
reactions among pediatric patients. “INTERCEPT platelets demonstrate
comparable therapeutic efficacy to conventional platelet components with
no increase in platelet usage,” noted Dr. Knutson.
Dr. Jean Claude Osselaer of the Mont Godinne Blood Transfusion Center,
Yvoir, Belgium will report on the transfusion experience with 18,641
INTERCEPT platelet components transfused in a 21-center European
haemovigilance study confirming the safety profile of platelets treated
with the INTERCEPT platelet system.
The French national transfusion service of Alsace (EFS-Alsace,
Strasbourg, France) will present on its experience with transfusion of
42,806 INTERCEPT platelet components over a three year period
demonstrating significant reduction in acute transfusion reactions
compared to conventional platelet components. In addition, EFS Alsace
will present data on transfusion of 26,234 INTERCEPT plasma components
showing a safety profile comparable to that of conventional plasma.
“These are reports by multiple independent European blood centers using
the INTERCEPT pathogen inactivation technology in routine practice for a
broad spectrum of patients, and their experience serves to confirm and
extend the safety profile for these products,” said Dr. Laurence Corash,
Cerus' chief medical officer.