Cerus Corporation Celebrates World Blood Donor Day 2022

CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cerus Corporation (Nasdaq: CERS) is proud to announce its celebration of World Blood Donor Day 2022.

For over 15 years, World Blood Donor Day has helped served as an annual event to raise awareness of the crucial importance of available blood and blood products for patients around the globe, while also recognizing the generosity of blood donors who make these products available. This year’s campaign, “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives,” highlights the need for donations in support of an adequate blood supply around the world on a year-round basis.

“A blood donation is a selfless yet essential act, as every donation contributes to the provision of critical therapeutic blood components that benefit numerous types of patients in need,” stated William ‘Obi’ Greenman, Cerus’ president and chief executive officer. “With the challenges of managing a complex and time sensitive supply chain, blood centers often struggle with maintaining an adequate inventory of blood products, which can place significant strains on the healthcare system.”

Although blood centers everywhere are continuously recruiting for new donors, the pool of available donors remains small and geographically limited. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 118.5 million blood donations are collected annually around the world, with 40% of these donations collected in high-income countries, which contain only 16% of the global population.¹ The WHO has stated that, “Blood and blood products are essential resources for effective management of women suffering from bleeding associated with pregnancy and childbirth; children suffering from severe anemia due to malaria and malnutrition; patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, inherited disorders of hemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions; victims of trauma, emergencies, disasters and accidents; as well as patients undergoing advanced medical and surgical procedures.”²

“Since our inception, our singular focus has been on leading with the science to transform the field of transfusion medicine and establish a proactive solution for blood safety and availability,” Greenman continued. “As Cerus celebrates its 30^th anniversary in 2022 and we look ahead over the next 30 years, we are committed to continue to be a trusted partner to blood centers and hospitals alike, providing them with best-in-class tools that enhance their efforts to safeguard the blood supply.”

In recognition of World Blood Donor Day, Cerus will host a blood drive at company headquarters and encourages everyone to participate in supporting blood product availability in their local communities.

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blood-safety-and-availability
2. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/06/14/default-calendar/world-blood-donor-day-2022

ABOUT CERUS

Cerus Corporation is dedicated solely to safeguarding the world’s blood supply and aims to become the preeminent global blood products company. Headquartered in Concord, California, the company develops and supplies vital technologies and pathogen-protected blood components to blood centers, hospitals, and ultimately patients who rely on safe blood. The INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma is available globally and remains the only pathogen reduction system with both CE mark and FDA approval for these two blood components. The INTERCEPT red blood cell system is under regulatory review in Europe, and in late-stage clinical development in the US. Also in the US, the INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation is approved for production of INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex, a therapeutic product for the treatment and control of bleeding, including massive hemorrhage, associated with fibrinogen deficiency. For more information about Cerus, visit www.cerus.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

INTERCEPT and the INTERCEPT Blood System are trademarks of Cerus Corporation.