Benzinga | May 17, 2021 09:08AM EDT

Cerus Corporation Announces Contract With Canadian Blood Services For INTERCEPT Blood System For Platelets

Canadian Blood Services first to implement pathogen inactivation technology in Canada

Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) today announced its contract with Canadian Blood Services for the INTERCEPT Blood System for Platelets. Canadian Blood Services is one of Canada's two blood operators, serving all Canadian provinces and territories except Quebec.

"Today's announcement is a significant milestone for Cerus as we enter the Canadian market. We are proud to partner with Canadian Blood Services to introduce pathogen inactivated platelets in Canada," said Christian Boutemy, Cerus' vice president, commercial operations EMEA, who is also responsible for Canada. "For nearly 30 years, Cerus has been dedicated to safeguarding the blood supply around the globe. We are pleased that Canadian Blood Services is taking this step to bring INTERCEPT to Canadians. We look forward to supporting them as they scale up production of pathogen inactivated platelets for patients throughout the region."

"As an organization, we are committed to ensuring high quality blood components and to minimizing the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. The INTERCEPT Blood System allows us to deliver on this goal," said Dr. Graham D. Sher, Canadian Blood Services' chief executive officer. "Our aim is to drive full adoption of pathogen reduced platelets once INTERCEPT is deployed across all of our production sites."

Canadian Blood Services intends to implement pathogen reduced platelets in a gradual and measured manner, beginning in the Ottawa region in Fall 2021 subject to Health Canada approval. Broader implementation will begin after Cerus has attained Canadian regulatory approval for extension of pathogen reduced platelets' shelf life from five days to seven.

Canadian Blood Services manufactures approximately 115,000 platelet doses annually.