Cerus Corporation Inks French Supply Agreement for INTERCEPT Blood System

Cerus Corporation has signed a new, four-year supply agreement with Établissement Français du Sang (EFS), the French Blood Establishment, for the INTERCEPT Blood System. The agreement covers the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma as well as the next-generation, LED-based INT200 illumination device.

“We are proud to announce a new four-year supply agreement with the French Blood Establishment,” said Christian Boutemy, Cerus’ vice president of international commercial operations. “EFS has been a global leader in the adoption of pathogen inactivation technologies to help safeguard the blood supply and enhance patient safety. This agreement further underscores our shared, enduring commitment to ensuring safe transfusions for patients.”

The EFS distributes about 330,000 units of platelets annually across 13 regional centers in continental France and overseas territories. The INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets has been used in France since 2006, with broader nationwide adoption following a 2017 nationwide rollout. INTERCEPT is also used throughout French overseas territories, including La Réunion, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Implementation in those island territories was driven by the need to maintain a safe platelet supply during outbreaks of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika in these tropical regions.

Cerus Corporation is dedicated to safeguarding the world’s blood supply and aims to become the preeminent global blood products company. Headquartered in Concord, Calif., 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 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for these two blood components. In the United States, the INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation is approved for the production of Pathogen Reduced Cryoprecipitated Fibrinogen Complex (commonly referred to as INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex), a therapeutic product for the treatment and control of bleeding, including massive hemorrhage, associated with fibrinogen deficiency. The INTERCEPT red blood cell system is under regulatory review in Europe, and in late-stage clinical development in the United States.