Premaitha Health PLC (LON:NIPT) has welcomed a decision by the UK Department of Health to make non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPTs) routinely available on the NHS to high risk pregnant women across the UK.
The decision follows a recommendation back in January from the National Screening Committee that NIPTs – which test for downs syndrome and other genetic disorders in unborn babies – should be made freely available on the NHS.
Current testing for genetic disorders on the NHS is done through the Combined Test, which is less accurate than NIPTs, Premaitha said.
As a result, many women who are incorrectly assessed as being as being “at risk” for foetal anomalies choose to undergo an invasive diagnostic procedure which can lead to miscarriages.
Premaitha said that the availability of a safer, non-invasive blood test, such as its own IONA test, would likely see a “dramatic reduction” in the number of women who undergo these invasive procedures.
"I am delighted that the UK Government is committed to making the process of screening for foetal anomalies a safer one,” said chief executive Stephen Little.
“Through more accurate screening with non-invasive prenatal tests, such as the IONA® test, we will significantly reduce the number of women being referred for follow-up invasive diagnostic procedures.”
Premaitha expects NIPTs to be rolled out across the NHS to high risk women over the next three years, but added that it is hopeful that, in time, NIPTs will be available to all pregnant women and not just those perceived as “at risk”.