Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) is teaming up with Eliaz Therapeutics Inc. to develop and commercialize a new type of apheresis treatment for acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (S-AKI). The exclusive collaboration aims to reduce long-term morbidity and death in patients with AKIs by removing an upstream inflammatory protein called Galectin-3 (Gal-3) from blood plasma.

The FDA has cleared a plasma collection device developed by Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) and plasma collection network CSL Plasma. The companies, which are subsidiaries of Terumo Corp. and CSL Ltd., signed a collaboration deal in 2021 to develop the new Rika device for CSL Plasma collection centers. The automated technology is designed to reduce plasma collection time to 35 minutes or less. According to the Red Cross, plasma donations currently take on average about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Since April 10, 2020, the FDA has issued emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to several companies that make blood purification devices that can clear excess cytokines in the blood of patients with COVID-19. Monmouth Junction, N.J.-based Cytosorbents Corp.; Lakewood, Colo.-based Terumo BCT Inc.; and Marker Therapeutics AG, a subsidiary of Marker AG, of Zug, Switzerland, have all recently received EUAs for use of their products in adults with confirmed COVID-19 infections who are admitted to intensive care.