Cerus Reports on Post-Market Surveillance Studies for the INTERCEPT Blood System at 9th European Haemovigilance Seminar



    Laurence M. Corash, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Cerus
    Corporation presented information regarding the study methodology and
    data from ongoing INTERCEPT Blood System haemovigilance studies during
    the European Haemovigilance Seminar held February 27 and 28 in Dublin,
    Ireland.

    The INTERCEPT Blood System is the first and only treatment
    approved for pathogen inactivation of both platelet and therapeutic
    plasma components. The INTERCEPT system is designed to inactivate a
    broad range of viruses, bacteria and parasites, including emerging
    pathogens like West Nile virus, SARS, Chikungunya, and influenza that
    may be transmitted by blood transfusion.

    "We entered the European market with extensive clinical
    experience, including multiple Phase III trials evaluating over 3,700
    units of INTERCEPT Platelets," said Dr. Corash. "In addition, we
    believe that any time a manufacturer introduces a new medical
    technology, it has a responsibility to adequately establish safety in
    routine use. Therefore, I am pleased to present Cerus' haemovigilance
    program to the European transfusion medicine community and to report
    the results from the first 7,500 transfusions evaluated. In
    collaboration with our customers, we believe that we have been able to
    establish an excellent safety profile for INTERCEPT Platelets."

    In the Cerus haemovigilance program, INTERCEPT Platelet
    transfusions were evaluated as part of multi-center post-marketing
    surveillance studies designed in compliance with European standards
    for systematic evaluation of blood transfusion. The studies are
    designed to evaluate the product's safety profile by monitoring
    recipients for side effects such as acute transfusion reactions. In
    contrast to clinical studies, there are no restrictions on entry to
    the haemovigilance studies, allowing evaluation of a broader range of
    patients. To date, 7,500 INTERCEPT Platelet transfusions have been
    analyzed, with no unexpected side effects observed. In 2007, Cerus
    plans to continue the evaluation of treated platelet units and also to
    extend its haemovigilance program to include transfusions of INTERCEPT
    Plasma, which was awarded a CE mark in late 2006.

    Further information about the European Haemovigilance Seminar can
    be found on the congress website at http://www.ehndublin.eu.

    About The INTERCEPT Blood System

    The INTERCEPT Blood System is designed to reduce the risk of
    transfusion-transmitted diseases by inactivating a broad range of
    pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens
    that may be present in donated blood intended for transfusion. The
    system treats plasma and platelets using the same illumination device,
    process and active compound. Approximately 60,000 INTERCEPT treated
    platelet units have been transfused to date, and the technology has
    been used clinically in over 40 European blood centers. The INTERCEPT
    Blood System for both platelets and plasma received approval for CE
    marking in Europe, and a Phase I trial of the INTERCEPT Blood System
    for red blood cells is in progress in the United States.

    About Cerus

    Cerus Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and
    commercializes novel, proprietary products in the fields of blood
    safety and immunotherapy to provide safer, more effective medical
    options to patients in areas of substantial unmet medical needs. In
    the field of blood safety, the company is developing and
    commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System, which is based on the
    company's proprietary Helinx technology and is designed to enhance the
    safety of donated blood components by inactivating viruses, bacteria,
    parasites and other pathogens, as well as potentially harmful white
    blood cells. In the field of immunotherapy, the company is employing
    its proprietary attenuated Listeria vaccine platform to develop a
    series of novel therapies to treat cancer, and it is applying its
    proprietary Killed But Metabolically Active technology platform in
    research and development of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines for
    infectious diseases.

    INTERCEPT, INTERCEPT Blood System and Helinx are trademarks of
    Cerus Corporation.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements. For this
    purpose, any statements contained in this press release that are not
    statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking
    statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the
    evaluation and development of the Intercept Blood System. Words such
    as "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans" and similar words or
    expressions or the negative of these words or expressions are intended
    to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ
    materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of
    certain factors, including, without limitation, the risks identified
    in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
    including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
    December 31, 2006. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
    these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of
    this press release. The company does not undertake any obligation to
    update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information,
    future events, changed assumptions or otherwise.