Navamedic to launch non-invasive prenatal tests in Nordic markets
Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA), the Norwegian medtech and pharmaceutical products company, announced today an agreement signed with Sequenom Laboratories of USA, a leading molecular diagnostics laboratory, for the launch of three non-invasive prenatal genetic tests in the Nordic region.
Navamedic will launch three Sequenom non-invasive prenatal tests; MaterniT Genome®, MaterniT21 PLUS® and VisibiliT® in Nordic markets The tests can identify potential chromosome deficiency in the fetus as early as in week 10 of the pregnancy. The tests will be launched in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The use of this technology is currently not allowed in Norway.
Non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) are targeted at the detection of certain specific chromosomal aneuploidies (abnormal numbers of chromosomes in a cell) from maternal blood sample in pregnant women at high risk for fetal aneuploidies. Currently, the prenatal testing market is experiencing a paradigm shift from conventional prenatal screening and diagnostic methods to non-invasive prenatal testing. This is mainly because of the advantages associated with NIPTs such as safety, accuracy, and no risk of miscarriage during the genetic screening test for common chromosomal abnormalities.
Since its introduction to clinical practice in 2011, NIPT has quickly gained ground as a safe and effective test method. Globally, hundreds of thousands of pregnant women have used these non-invasive tests. The global market for NIPT is growing rapidly; it has been projected to expand at a double digit growth rate during the period 2015-2020. A similar development is expected in the Nordics. The use of NIPT is regulated by guidelines issued by scientific, regulatory and healthcare professional bodies, to which Navamedic will adhere in its launch of the tests across the Nordics.
"The collaboration with Sequenom is another step in developing Navamedic as a provider of new and ground-breaking solutions for patients. We have a strong presence and deep knowledge in the area of Women's Health. With non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnostics in its early phase of adoption, we are very pleased that we are able to offer this important technology to pregnant women across the Nordic region," said Navamedic CEO Tom Rönnlund.
For further information, please contact CEO Tom Rönnlund, telephone +46 727 320 321 or CFO Bjørn Lindholt, telephone +47 9300 6601.