SINGAPORE – Cordlife Group said the indefinite suspension of accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (Fact) “will not impact” the storage of cord blood units at its facility in Singapore.
A separate investigation by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) will also not affect the storage of cord blood units here, Cordlife said in a filing to the Singapore Exchange late on Dec 7.
Fact on Dec 5 indefinitely suspended the cellular therapy accreditation of Singapore’s private cord blood bank after its tanks storing cord blood units were found to have been exposed to suboptimal temperatures.
Meanwhile, AABB said in a statement on Dec 6 that it is continuing to collect relevant information to help it decide on the accreditation status of the Cordlife facility.
The moves by the two international bodies follow the announcement on Nov 30 from Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) of Cordlife’s six-month suspension from accepting new cord blood samples after seven of its 22 cord blood storage tanks were found to have been kept at temperatures above acceptable limits.
As a result, about 2,200 cord blood units belonging to approximately 2,150 clients were damaged, rendering them unsuitable for stem cell transplant purposes. Another 17,000 clients could be affected, pending investigations.
Cordlife was given 14 days to make representations to MOH.
Its group chief executive Tan Poh Lan said in the Dec 7 filing: “I once again want to convey my sincere apologies to our clients for any distress that this incident has caused. We are working hard to update them on their individual situations as quickly as we can, as well as address the questions and concerns they rightly have.
“Our conversations with the Ministry of Health are continuing, and we hope to be able to provide further updates on our progress soon.”
Ms Tan added the company will be working closely with Fact and AABB to share updates and information as the investigation with MOH progresses.
Cordlife had been accredited by Fact since November 2015, while it has held accreditation from AABB for 18 years.
Cordlife shares closed up 1.7 per cent, or 0.5 cent, at 30 cents on Dec 8, after its latest announcement. The stock has lost some 34 per cent of its value since news of the company’s suspension by MOH on Nov 30.
