Cerus and Blood Bank of Delmarva Enter into Agreement for the Use of INTERCEPT Platelets and Plasma

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Press Release Details

Cerus and Blood Bank of Delmarva Enter into Agreement for the Use of INTERCEPT Platelets and Plasma

02/04/2015

CONCORD, Calif. & NEWARK, Del.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) and the Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) announced today that they have signed a three-year purchase agreement for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma. BBD provides blood transfusion products and services to hospitals and patients in Delaware, Cecil County, Maryland, as well as Maryland’s and Virginia’s Eastern Shores. BBD supplies approximately 13,000 platelet and 21,000 plasma units per year.

“The implementation of the INTERCEPT system aligns with our mission of providing safe, effective blood products that best serve our hospital and patient community,” said Roy Roper, president and chief executive officer of BBD. “We are excited to be one of the first centers to adopt pathogen reduction as a proactive measure to mitigate the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections in our blood supply.”

“The majority of platelet transfusions occur in cancer patients, some of which will receive multiple units over the course of their therapy. It’s exciting and rewarding as a blood center to be in a position to favorably impact the treatment of these patients by providing platelet products that substantially reduce the risk of transmitting viruses and bacteria, and limit the risk of transfusion mediated graft versus host disease,” said Theresa Boyd, MD, Medical Director.

“We are very pleased that the Blood Bank of Delmarva has chosen INTERCEPT to help protect patients against transfusion transmitted agents such as bacteria and emerging pathogens,” commented William “Obi” Greenman, Cerus’ president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to supporting Delmarva to fulfill their mission for improved blood safety.”

ABOUT BLOOD BANK OF DELMARVA

Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community service organization that provides blood and blood components for hospitals in the Delmarva region. For over 60 years, Blood Bank of Delmarva has ensured a safe and continuous supply of blood to meet the needs of over 20,000 patients annually. In addition to blood provisioning, BBD operates a full service regional laboratory providing testing services for blood collection centers. BBD is FDA licensed, a member of America’s Blood Centers, and accredited by AABB. For more information, visit http://www.DelmarvaBlood.org.

ABOUT CERUS

Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company focused in the field of blood 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.

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 impact of implementing the INTERCEPT Blood System at the Blood Bank of Delmarva. 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 and other risks detailed in Cerus’ filings with the SEC, including exhibit 99.1 of Cerus’ current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 5, 2015. 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 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, changed assumptions or otherwise.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150204005273/en/

Source: Cerus Corporation

Cerus Corporation Lainie Corten, 925-288-6319 Sr. Director, Global Marketing & Investor Relations or Blood Bank of Delmarva Joseph A. Yelo, MBA, MT(ASCP)SBB, 302-737-8405 ext. 866 Lead Executive, Business Development

Medline to Bring Supply Chain Expertise and Savings

Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Mundelein, Ill., Jan. XX, 2015 – Blood Centers of America (BCA), the nation’s largest blood supply network, has selected Medline Industries, Inc., as its exclusive supply partner of phlebotomy and donor screening kits.

 

The three year agreement, beginning April 1, 2015, will strengthen BCA’s ability to make phlebotomy and donor screening kits accessible to more than 50 member centers, as well as its suppliers and clients, all of which serve hospitals and patients across the country. BCA provides more than 40 percent of the U.S. blood supply.

 

“The safety of the U.S. blood supply hinges on a rigorous donor screening process along with industry regulated tests,” says Sam Keith, Vice President, Supply Chain and National Accounts, Blood Centers of America. “Medline has the industry knowledge, network and resources we need in a kitting supply partner. We are excited to work with Medline on growing the accessibility of kits to all of our BCA centers, and we strongly believe this agreement provides the necessary incentives and resources required to help make it easier for centers to adopt as their standard.”

 

Medline’s vast logistics network of more than 40 strategically located distribution centers across the country will provide BCA with kits whenever and wherever needed, especially in critical emergencies. The medical supplier, distributor and manufacturer, with extensive supply chain expertise, is built on serving the healthcare industry at a moment’s notice, for crises like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, or Ebola preparedness, as well as every day needs across the continuum of care.

 

BCA chose Medline over four other suppliers for its impeccable quality control, supply chain efficiencies and online monitoring capabilities, all of which bring cost savings to the network of blood centers.

 

About Medline

As the nation’s largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of quality medical supplies and services, Medline offers healthcare products and services that drive value through tailored solutions across the continuum of care. Named one of the country’s “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For,” the company is headquartered in Mundelein, Ill. and has more than 1,200 dedicated sales representatives to support its broad product line and cost management services. For more information on Medline, go to www.medline.com or http://www.medline.com/social-media to connect with Medline on a variety of social media channels.

Molecular Assay for Blood Compatibility Testing from Immucor Approved by FDA

Saturday, December 06, 2014

Immucor PreciseType™ HEA Test Becomes the First-Ever FDA-Approved Diagnostic for Molecular Typing of Donor and Recipient Red Blood Cells for Blood Transfusions

Addresses critical unmet needs in blood banking and transfusion medicine – a fast, FDA-approved way to generate critical genetic matching information necessary to:

  • Prevent alloimmunization and reduce risk of painful and potentially life-threatening transfusion reactions for patients receiving transfusions of red blood cells (RBC)
  • Identify and maximize appropriate use of donor blood containing rare antigens

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Indiana Blood Center to join CTTM

Friday, November 14, 2014

Milwaukee, Wis., — November 14, 2014 – The Centers for Transfusion and Transplant Medicine (CTTM) today announced that Indiana Blood Center, headquartered in Indianapolis, will become the fourth affiliate of CTTM effective January 1, 2015. Established in 1952, Indiana Blood Center is the largest independent blood center in Indiana.

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GSABC Vendor Qualification Program has transitioned to BCA

Monday, June 23, 2014

As a result of the merger between GSABC and BCA, the GSABC Vendor Qualification Program has transitioned to BCA.  BCA recognizes the value this centralized process offers our blood center members as well as many vendors. Please note that if you are a BCA Member you will continue to have complete access to all of the vendor qualification information which is now located on the BCA member dashboard  https://www.bcadata.com/Dashboard/rdLogon.aspx  You will be required to enter your login information for the dashboard and then will find a vendor qualification tab containing all of the available documents.  If you do not already have a login then please follow the prompts on the login page to contact Greg Bishop gbishop@bca.coop and he will assign a login for you.  If you have specific questions about the vendor qualification program please contact Gena Swisher gswisher@bca.coop.