Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with CSL Limited, Biotherapies division to distribute Cerus' INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets in Australia and New Zealand. The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to provide increased protection from a broad range of transfusion-transmitted pathogens, including bacteria and emerging pathogens such as the dengue and chikungunya viruses. Approximately 140,000 platelet units are collected annually in Australia and New Zealand.
“CSL has a long history of supporting the safety of blood supply in both Australia and New Zealand.”
Under terms of the agreement, CSL and Cerus will promote the sales, deployment and support of the INTERCEPT platelet system in Australia and New Zealand. Cerus expects that should the blood services plan to adopt the system, they will need to obtain approval for use of INTERCEPT treated platelets from their respective national regulatory authorities.
"We believe that CSL, as one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world, is an ideal partner to bring INTERCEPT to these new markets," said Claes Glassell, president and chief executive officer of Cerus Corporation. "CSL has a long history of supporting the safety of blood supply in both Australia and New Zealand."
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