CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS), a biomedical products company focused in the field of blood transfusion safety, announced today that the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Walter Reed), a component of the Armed Services Blood Program, has begun routine use of the INTERCEPT Blood System for apheresis platelets. Walter Reed transfuses approximately 1,000 apheresis platelet units annually.
“Walter Reed now joins the growing list of centers in routine production of platelets treated using the INTERCEPT Blood System,” commented William “Obi” Greenman, Cerus’ president and chief executive officer. “Similar to the National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed has decided to convert 100% of their platelet production to now be pathogen-reduced using INTERCEPT.”
The ability to transition production to INTERCEPT-treated platelets aligns with the Walter Reed mission of continually improving patient care and safety for the military patients served. INTERCEPT will provide Walter Reed’s physicians, patients, and their families with peace of mind that this innovative technology is being used to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections.
ABOUT WALTER REED NATIONAL MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER (WRNMMC)
The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is one of the nation’s largest and most renowned military medical centers. Recently dubbed “The Nation's Medical Center,” and still the “President’s Hospital,” WRNMMC represents the joining of the “Best of the Best” in military medicine when National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center came together in September of 2011, to form Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as decreed by the Base Realignment and Closure law of 2005. The WRNMMC vision is to serve military families and our nation’s active duty, returning war heroes, veterans and our Nation’s leaders.
ABOUT THE ARMED SERVICES BLOOD PROGRAM
Since 1962, the Armed Services Blood Program has served as the sole provider of blood for the United States military. As a tri-service organization, the ASBP collects, processes, stores and distributes blood and blood products to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their families worldwide. As one of four national blood collection organizations trusted to ensure the nation has a safe, potent blood supply, the ASBP works closely with our civilian counterparts by sharing donors on military installations where there are no military blood collection centers and by sharing blood products in times of need to maximize availability of this national treasure. To find out more about the ASBP or to schedule an appointment to donate, please visit www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To interact directly with ASBP staff members, see more photos or get the latest news, follow @militaryblood on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest. Find the drop. Donate.
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 www.cerus.com for more information about Cerus.
INTERCEPT and INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.
