Cerus Corporation announced today that Shepeard Community Blood Center has signed a purchase agreement for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma. Shepeard serves 20 hospitals in and around Augusta, Georgia, distributing approximately 4,500 platelet and 12,000 plasma units annually.

“Not only will INTERCEPT processing offer us peace of mind that we are providing blood components of the highest safety standard, it offers Shepeard the opportunity to streamline our supply logistics,” said Kevin Belanger, Shepeard’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Incorporating INTERCEPT processing into our in-house lab will revolutionize our operations and allow us the potential to release platelet units to our community hospitals with a much quicker turn around. INTERCEPT processing will also eliminate the need for certain time consuming procedures, such as bacterial testing.”

“With a five-day shelf life for platelets constraining their current supply chain, the opportunity for Shepeard to deliver platelet units to their hospitals one day earlier is quite meaningful. It will allow patients to receive a fresher product and allow hospitals to reduce wastage,” commented William "Obi" Greenman, Cerus’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to implementing the INTERCEPT Blood System into Shepeard’s blood center operations.”