Terumo BCT’s Mirasol® Pathogen Reduction Technology System Granted Authorization for Use in Austria

First customer in Austria, Europlasma GmbH, to adopt the Mirasol System for use with platelets

LAKEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Terumo BCT’s customer, Europlasma GmbH, is the first blood center in Austria to receive authorization from AGES, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, to use the Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology System with platelets. The authorization enables the blood center to adopt an enhanced approach to blood safety, using the Mirasol system for all platelets collected for transfusion.

“The Mirasol system represents a great opportunity for our blood center to offer another layer of safety to our customers and their patients. We look forward to implementing this safe and effective alternative to gamma irradiation and bacterial screening of platelets.”

KEY FACTS:

• Europlasma GmbH supplies hospitals throughout the Vienna region with lifesaving platelets and plasma products.
• Using Terumo BCT’s Trima Accel® Automated Blood Collection System, Europlasma GmbH produces double and triple unit platelet concentrates (PCs) that can be pathogen-reduced with a single Mirasol treatment.
• The Mirasol system offers Europlasma GmbH key benefits not offered by other pathogen reduction technologies, including:
  • Use of riboflavin (vitamin B2), a naturally occurring, non-toxic compound that enables safe handling conditions for blood center personnel.
  • Cost effectiveness, with treatment of double and triple-dose PCs collected on Terumo BCT’s Trima Accel system.
  • Efficient, flexible and simple processes with minimal loss of product, immediate availability of products for delivery to patients, and easy integration into blood center operations.
• The Mirasol system currently is used in more than 50 blood centers in 15 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
• Key drivers toward pathogen reduction technology include: enhanced safety—with emphasis on increased protection against bacteria and emerging infectious threats; and the ability to replace existing safety interventions, such as bacterial detection, gamma irradiation and CMV screening.

KEY QUOTES:

Vincent Gaspar, Terumo BCT Senior Vice President and General Manager, EMEA

“We are pleased that yet another country in Western Europe is taking advantage of the Mirasol system to further enhance the safety of blood. By combining the strengths of our Mirasol and Trima Accel systems, blood centers can achieve increased levels of safety with optimal productivity.”

Prof. Paul Hoecker, M.D., Europlasma GmbH, Vienna, Austria

“The Mirasol system represents a great opportunity for our blood center to offer another layer of safety to our customers and their patients. We look forward to implementing this safe and effective alternative to gamma irradiation and bacterial screening of platelets.”

KEY RESOURCES:

• Mirasol System Fact Sheet
• Mirasol System for Platelets and Plasma

Disclaimer: The Mirasol system is not available for sale in the United States.

About Europlasma GmbH:

Europlasma GmbH has been a knowledge center for production, conservation and distribution of plasma and other blood components for more than 25 years and is a subsidiary of LFB.S.A., a French state-owned biopharmaceutical company.

About Terumo BCT:

Terumo BCT, a global leader in blood component, therapeutic apheresis and cellular technologies, is the only company with the unique combination of apheresis collections, manual and automated whole blood processing, and pathogen reduction coupled with leading technologies in therapeutic apheresis and cell processing. We believe in the potential of blood to do even more for patients than it does today. This belief inspires our innovation and strengthens our collaboration with customers.