NEW YORK (360Dx) – The Japanese Red Cross Society (JRC) inked an eight-year contract to make Abbott an exclusive supplier of immunoassay-based serological instrumentation, tests, and consumables for blood and plasma screening in Japan, Abbott said today.
The JRC will use Abbott's technology to screen each donation across eight distinct assays, including those used in hepatitis and retrovirus analysis.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Abbott Park, Illinois-based firm said that the JRC conducted "an extensive evaluation" of commercially available products across numerous analytical and quality parameters prior to reaching an agreement.
Lou Morrone, vice president of transfusion medicine at Abbott, said in a statement that the new collaboration will allow it to deliver proven technology to support JRC "in their important mission of protecting patients by helping ensure the safety of their blood and plasma supply."
The JRC screens about 5 million blood donations each year, helping to ensure a safe supply of products needed for blood transfusions and plasma therapies, Abbott said.
The firm said that its product portfolio is already used to screen more than 60 percent of the world's blood and plasma supply.