For over 50 years, Fenwal has pioneered the science of blood technologies; introducing breakthroughs that have helped make blood collection and therapy a reality. From advances in whole blood collections … to the first fully-automated blood cell separator … to the most advanced apheresis technology, Fenwal continues to be a world leader in the development of innovations that change the practice of blood transfusion. Today, product development continues to focus on innovative technologies that automate the process of cell separation and other processes to aid in ensuring a safe and available global blood supply.
by a surgeon named Carl Walter with a $2,000 investment from an entrepreneurial neighbor, T. Legare Fenn. Dr. Walter had developed the first flexible, disposable container for blood collection, which would revolutionize blood banking. Fenwal's Blood-Pack system eliminated complications associated with collecting blood in glass bottles, such as air embolism, contamination and breakage. More importantly, it was now possible to separate whole blood into its components through a series of connected disposable containers. This created an industry-wide shift from whole-blood transfusion to blood-component therapy, allowing each unit of blood to benefit more patients by allowing physicians to administer only the specific blood component needed by a patient.
, where it became part of Baxter’s transfusion therapies business. The Fenwal Blood-Pack plastic system later led to Baxter innovations in intravenous and dialysis therapies. During this time, the business introduced several innovations in transfusion therapies, including:
- 1979: CS-3000 system—the first automated blood-cell separator. This was a major breakthrough in blood therapy, drawing whole blood from the donor, keeping only the desired component and returning the remaining blood components to the donor. Allowing donors to give more frequently and patients to receive blood products from fewer donors. This helped eliminate the risk of contamination associated with manual methods, while allowing donors to give more frequently and patients to receive blood products from fewer donors.
- 1991: leukoreduction filters. The new filters allowed the reduction of white blood cells in transfused blood products. This process was developed because white blood cells are associated with the transmission of certain infectious diseases and the development of immune reactions in transfusion recipients.
- 1997: AMICUS automated separator. This system further increased the safety and efficiency of blood component collection. It reduced the amount of time it took to collect targeted blood components from donors and provided an integrated leukoreduction feature.
- 2001: European regulatory approval for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets with *Cerus Corporation. This is the first pathogen inactivation system for inactivating certain known pathogens and potential emerging pathogens in platelets.
- 2002: ALYX® component collection system. The system allows blood centers to collect, from a single donor, two transfusions doses of red blood cells instead of one and returns other blood components to the donor. The system offers the potential to increase the supply of this vitally-needed blood component from the existing pool of donors.
In 2007, Fenwal Inc was established as an independent corporation when Baxter divested its transfusion therapies business to *TPG, a global private equity firm. At the request of our customers, the name Fenwal — the original name of the business when it was established in 1949 — was chosen for this new, independent company in order to reflect our history and experience. Fenwal is one of the world's largest suppliers of products and services to the blood banking industry.
Fenwal, ALYX, AMICUS, Blood-Pack, CS-3000 are trademarks of Fenwal, Inc.
INTERCEPT is a trademark of CERUS Corporation.
*For more information, see the following websites:
www,cerus.com
www.baxter.com
www.tpg.com
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