Cryo-Save Switzerland Receives National Accreditation for Safe Procedures

ZUTPHEN, The Netherlands, September 6, 2011 -

Cryo-Save Switzerland was positively reviewed by Swissmedic, Switzerland’s government agency for therapeutic products. The received accreditation confirms Cryo-Save’s continuous efforts to deliver high quality, and safe and effective procedures, while collecting, processing and preserving stem cells from umbilical cord and cord blood.

Cryo-Save Group (Euronext: CRYO, “Cryo-Save”), Europe’s leading family stem cell bank, is proud to announce the positive review and certification of their Swiss operations by Swissmedic. Cryo-Save serves over 185.000 customers worldwide, storing stem cells from umbilical cord (Cryocord+) and cord blood (Cryocord).

Arnoud van Tulder, CEO comments: “We are active in over 40 countries and safeguarding the highest quality standards in every country is key to our business strategy. The stem cells we store can save someone’s life. It is our responsibility to our customers to have it right, for each and every one of them. The Swiss accreditation confirms our continued efforts and underlines our position as a centre of excellence in stem cell storage in Europe.”

A bonus for Cryo-Save customers

For customers, this certification confirms that both Cryocord and Cryocord+ services, as offered by Cryo-Save, are handled with the utmost care. Cryocord is the collection and long-term storage of stem cells derived from cord blood upon giving birth to a child. Cryocord+ is an extension of Cryocord, storing not only the cord blood, but the extremely stem cell rich umbilical cord. Cryo-Save Switzerland has been offering this innovative service since April 2011.

“With the accreditation we just received, coupled with our recently launched Cryocord+ service, the customers of Cryo-Save Switzerland receive additional quality confirmation from the government and are sure to receive an excellent service when storing stem cells with Cryo-Save,“ says Cryo-Save Switzerland operations director, Wolfgang Rogner.

Approved by Swissmedic

Switzerland’s control and logistics of therapeutic products intended for transplantation was inspected and found fully compliant with the laws as outlined by Swissmedic. With this accreditation, Cryo-Save Switzerland receives recognition for properly handling cord blood and cord tissue ready for use, exclusively for autologous transplantation.

Rogner adds, “This accreditation is just one of the many steps Cryo-Save Switzerland is taking to demonstrate our dedication to first class service.”

Cryo-Save: www.cryo-save.com/group

Cryo-Save, the leading international family stem cell bank, already stores more than 185,000 samples from cord blood and umbilical cord tissue for newborns and adipose tissue for adults. These stem cells can mean the difference between life and death in the case of future threats to the health of the donors. There are already several diseases that can be cured by the use of stem cells, and the number of treatments will only increase. The use of stem cells from adipose tissue is increasingly popular in cosmetic surgery. Driven by its international business strategy, Cryo-Save is now represented in over 40 countries on four continents, with ultra-modern processing and storage facilities in the United States, Belgium, Germany, Dubai, India, South Africa and France (validation in progress).

More information: Arnoud van Tulder, Chief Executive Officer Cryo-Save, (+31-575-548-998), Wolfgang Rogner, Operations Director Cryo-Save Switzerland (+41-55-222-0255)