For Terumo, everything begins and ends with patients. This includes the investments of time, energy and money that Terumo makes as a healthcare organization.
From the perspective of time, we recently announced a collaboration of two Colorado companies coming together to develop a novel cancer immunotherapy aimed at solid tumors. Under the memorandum of understanding, PhotonPharma's team will work hand-in-hand with us. We look toward the future and hope these kinds of collaborations will help speed the time to market for therapeutic advances to help patients.
PhotonPharma is using our Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology (PRT) System to develop this new cancer vaccine. Mirasol* uses UV light and Vitamin B2 to reduce pathogens in blood products. Now, Mirasol's use is pivoting and used in the PhotonPharma project as well as another vaccine aimed at emerging strains of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
[Investments in energy constitute the second aspect of our efforts. We're working across our organization to raise awareness about the dire and ongoing need for blood donations.
COVID-19 decimated the blood supply across the U.S. with many blood banks and hospitals showing empty. Most blood in the U.S. is collected at mobile drives at businesses, churches and schools. COVID-19 restrictions curtailed many of these important community outreach efforts.
The United States is hardly the only place facing blood shortages.
We continue our investment of energy into the ongoing and critical blood shortages facing sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our team recently published a paper in Africa Sanguine, a peer-reviewed medical journal1. This paper clearly shows that an investment in blood collections in SSA would help African families by curtailing the maternal death rates linked to post-partum bleeding. It would also save money and stimulate the economies in Ivory Coast, Ghana and Kenya. Estimates project savings of $23 million USD a year.
When it comes to an investment of money. Terumo spends three times the industry average on innovation and development efforts. The outcome of this is seen in new products and in updates we regularly make to our software, apps and medical devices. One such new technology is aimed at the source plasma collection business. We are working with the largest collector of source plasma in the industry – CSL Plasma. We conducted a clinical trial of the investigational plasmapheresis device earlier in 2021, and the introduction of the new platform is subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration device clearance, at which time the parties will provide further comment. Learn more here.
Plasma collected at CSL Plasma centers is used by CSL Behring for the purpose of manufacturing and delivering its life-saving therapies to people suffering from serious and rare diseases in more than 100 countries. Our investment will ultimately help touch patients who rely on these therapies.
These are just a few examples of the ways in which we are Contributing to Society through Healthcare. Which effort of time, energy or money most appeals to your skillset? Do you have a particular passion that requires one of these three innovation efforts? Email press@terumobct.com. We will answer any innovation-related questions you pose in the next blog.
1Owusu-Ofori S. et al. Health economic value of blood in Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast: the case of maternal bleeding. Africa Sanguine. 2021;23(1)1-13. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/asan/article/view/21087
*Mirasol is CE marked for platelets, plasma and whole blood and is in routine use in more than 20 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. The system is only for investigational research in the U.S. Availability varies by market.