Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

Cerus Corporation (Nasdaq:CERS) today announced that it has received a $5 million milestone payment from Baxter Healthcare Corporation. The payment was made upon the first regulatory approval, which occurred with the CE Mark of the disposable set for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets in Europe.

"We are proud to have achieved this milestone, which represents years of collaboration with Baxter and a significant step in our transition to a revenue-generating company," said Stephen T. Isaacs, president and chief executive officer of Cerus. "We are currently preparing for launch of the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets in Europe and are conducting late-stage clinical trials for our systems for plasma and red blood cells."

The Cerus-Baxter collaboration, which began in 1993, has resulted in the development of multiple pathogen inactivation products to enhance the safety of blood transfusions. A CE Mark for the INTERCEPT Blood System disposable set for platelets has been received. The next step is completion of the CE Mark process for the illumination device prior to commercialization of the system. The companies have begun the regulatory submission process to obtain approval in the United States. Separately, the companies are preparing the U.S. regulatory submission for the INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma, which will be followed by a CE Mark application for this product. In addition, the companies are conducting Phase III clinical trials for INTERCEPT Red Blood Cells.

ABOUT CERUS

Cerus Corporation is developing medical systems and therapeutics based on its proprietary Helinx(R) technology for controlling biological replication. Cerus' most advanced programs are focused on systems to enhance the safety of blood products used for transfusion. The INTERCEPT Blood System, based on the company's Helinx technology, is designed to inactivate viruses, bacteria, other pathogens and white blood cells. The Concord, California-based company also is pursuing therapeutic applications of Helinx technology to treat and prevent serious diseases.

Helinx is a U.S. registered trademark of Cerus Corporation

INTERCEPT Blood System is a trademark of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX)

Statements in this news release regarding regulatory filings, product development and commercial potential are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from the above forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks and uncertainty of the timing and results of clinical trials and other development activities, actions by regulatory authorities at any stage of the development process, additional financing activities, manufacturing, market acceptance of any products, competitive conditions and other factors discussed in the company's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.