Japanese Red Cross Society Selects Abbott Technology to Screen Country's Blood and Plasma Supply

LONG-TERM AGREEMENT BETWEEN JAPANESE RED CROSS SOCIETY AND ABBOTT BRINGS TOGETHER TWO GLOBAL LEADERS IN BLOOD AND PLASMA SCREENING, HELPING ENSURE A SAFE AND EFFICIENT BLOOD SUPPLY ACROSS JAPAN

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Jan 17, 2019, 09:00 ET

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that it has been selected by the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRC) to partner in screening the country's blood donations. The 8-year contract is for the exclusive supply of serological instrumentation, tests and consumables used for blood and plasma screening. The JRC screens approximately 5 million blood donations each year, helping ensure a safe supply of products needed for blood transfusions and plasma therapies. Abbott's broad portfolio of products is used to screen more than 60 percent of the world's blood and plasma supply.

This agreement was reached after an extensive evaluation by the JRC of commercially available products across numerous analytical and quality parameters. As part of the proposal, Abbott will provide the JRC with Abbott's technology, leveraging the company's decades of leadership in blood screening for infectious diseases, medical and scientific research and expertise in efficiency through lab automation. The JRC will screen each donation across eight distinct assays, including hepatitis and retrovirus analysis.

"Abbott is excited and proud to enter into a long-term partnership with the Japanese Red Cross, a global leader in blood and plasma screening," said Lou Morrone, Vice President, Transfusion Medicine, Abbott. "This new collaboration will allow us to deliver proven technology to support them in their important mission of protecting patients by helping ensure the safety of their blood and plasma supply."

About the Japanese Red Cross Society
The Japanese Red Cross Society, in cooperation with the national government and local authorities, promotes nationwide blood donation to ensure a continuous supply of the blood products that are essential for medical treatment. Through the generous cooperation of approximately 5 million people, the JRC secures required quantities of blood products and delivers them to medical institutions across the country.

About Abbott
At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world -- in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals -- that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 99,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.

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SOURCE Abbott