Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL), a global leader in filtration, separation
and purification, today announced the launch of the Leukotrap® Affinity
Plus Prion and Leukocyte Reduction Filter System. The new blood filter
reduces prions and leukocytes in a single step. The Leukotrap® Affinity
Plus System is CE marked in accordance with requirements set out in the
Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC).
“We commend SaBTO for taking an important lead in securing the U.K.’s
blood supply from this devastating disease”
Infectious prions (PRPsc) are known to be the causative agent
of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The Pall Leukotrap Affinity
Plus System reduces PRPSC prion by >3 LOG on average, based
on Western blot methodology. As a primary leukocyte and prion reduction
technology, it also facilitates superior hemoglobin recovery, to meet
current EU requirements.
CE marking of the Pall Leukotrap Affinity Plus System supports new
guidance from the United Kingdom’s Advisory Committee on the Safety of
Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO), which recently recommended
pre-transfusion filtration of red blood cells to remove prions, for
children born after January 1, 1996. The guidance, which is subject to
completion of clinical trials currently underway in Britain, is a
response to the incidence of vCJD in the wake of the bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) cases in Europe.