FDA approves Cerus' Intercept for plasma

Cerus Corp. (NASDAQ:CERS) jumped $1.08 (23%) to $5.86 on Wednesday after FDA approved the company's Intercept Blood System for plasma. The plasma pathogen inactivation system using the light-activated compound amotosalen is designed to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections.

CEO William Greenman said the company will need "a couple of months" to label and ship kits containing the system to the U.S. The system is already available in the U.S. under an investigational device exemption (IDE) for the treatment of convalescent plasma collected from Ebola disease survivors for passive immune therapy. Cerus markets the system, as well as the Intercept Blood System for platelets, in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Middle East. ...