Cerus INTERCEPT Blood System Among New Safety Measures Recommended By FDA

Cerus Corporation CERS disclosed that the Food and Drug Administration has issued a revised document, titled "Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Zika Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Components." According to the company, its INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma is among the new measures recommended by the medical regulator.

The key factor of the revised guidelines is that the FDA recommended risk reducing measures to fight Zika even outside the areas with active local transmissions. The regulator wants the guidelines to be executed within the four weeks in all the 11 states that are considered proximate to the local transmission areas. The other states have been given 12 weeks time to comply with the modified guidelines.

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Cerus pointed out that its INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma was approved by the medical regulator in December 2014. The company added that it was already in use in 15 blood centers throughout the nation. This included the American Red Cross. The company indicated that another fifteen more blood centers are under contract and that the implementation is in progress.

The company's SVP, Carol Moore, said, "With cases of mosquito-borne Zika infections increasing in Florida and the potential for infections to expand into other at-risk states, the FDA's revised guidance demonstrates an increasing level of concern about the threat of transfusion transmission in the U.S. Cerus stands ready to assist blood centers in complying with the FDA's new recommendations."

Following the news, the stock traded higher by $0.24, or 3.56 percent, to $6.99.