Ilex Biotech has entered into an agreement with Cerus to distribute its INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma in South Africa and Israel.
The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to provide protection from transfusion-transmitted pathogens by inactivating bacteria and emerging pathogens such as the dengue and chikungunya viruses that may be present in donated blood.
The nucleic acid targeting mechanism of action enables INTERCEPT treatment to inactivate established transfusion threats, such as hepatitis B and C, HIV, West Nile virus and bacteria, and is designed to inactivate pathogens such as influenza, malaria and dengue.
Cerus president and CEO William Greenman said he is satisfied with Ilex’s success in bringing blood safety technologies to South Africa, where the high rate of HIV-positive donations creates an challenge to transfusion safety.
The INTERCEPT red blood cell system is in clinical development.