Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative testing and genetic analysis solutions, announced today its wholly owned subsidiary, Sequenom Laboratories, has signed a national agreement with a leading health insurance company covering 13 million people throughout the United States, to provide the MaterniT21™ PLUS laboratory-developed test (LDT). The addition of this contract brings the number of covered lives under agreement by Sequenom Laboratories' diagnostic services to more than 140 million.
"This new payor agreement is a testament to the continued acceptance and adoption of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), and we are proud to maintain our position as a market leader in this innovative and rapidly growing area," said William Welch, President and Chief Operating Officer of Sequenom. "Now, even more expectant women at high risk for fetal aneuploidy and their families will have access to the MaterniT21 PLUS test in the U.S., and we believe these patients and the physicians that treat them will continue to find value in the accurate and timely information provided by the MaterniT21 PLUS test."
The MaterniT21 PLUS test analyzes the relative amount of 21, 18, 13, as well as Y chromosomal material in cell-free DNA. The test also reports additional findings for the presence of sex subchromosomal aneuploidies, trisomy 16 and 22, subchromosomal microdeletions and duplications which complement the MaterniT21 PLUS test core findings. The test is intended for use in pregnant women at increased risk for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and is indicated for use as early as 10 weeks' gestation. Estimates suggest there are about 750,000 pregnancies at high risk for fetal chromosomal abnormalities each year in the United States.
The MaterniT21 PLUS test is available exclusively through Sequenom Laboratories as a testing service provided to health care professionals. To learn more about the test, please visit www.laboratories.sequenom.com.
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