THURSDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- An additive that allows for more efficient storage of blood platelets up to five days has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Platelets -- the component that helps blood clot -- are commonly used to prevent or treat bleeding, are given to people having chemotherapy to treat cancer, and are administered to people who don't produce their own platelets, the agency said in a news release.
Currently, platelets are stored in a solution made from a component of blood plasma. The newly approved additive, InterSol, will free up some of the donor plasma for other purposes, the FDA said.
InterSol is derived from salt. It's manufactured by Illinois-based Fenwal Inc.
More information
To learn more about blood platelets, visit the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
