Top Health Insurance Plans Expanded Coverage of the Verifi® Non-Invasive Prenatal Test to Detect Dow
Top Health Insurance Plans Expanded Coverage of the Verifi®Non-Invasive Prenatal Test to Detect Down Syndrome & Other Chromosomal Abnormalities
Coverage increases access to over 80 million covered lives
WALTHAM, Mass. & REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI) , a global leader in maternal and fetal health, and Verinata Health, an Illumina company and innovator of non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT), today announced that several of the top health insurance plans have expanded coverage of the verifi® prenatal test for a variety of potential fetal health risks to over 80 million covered lives. The verifi® test is among the recently covered DNA-based NIPTs that detect multiple fetal chromosomal aneuploidies, an abnormal number of chromosomes, in high-risk pregnancies. Coverage of NIPTs provides expecting parents with better access to high quality screening for fetal health. Earlier this year, PerkinElmer and Verinata announced their collaboration to expand access to Verinata's verifi® test in the U.S.
"PerkinElmer is focused on enabling early access for mothers and babies to the most advanced testing solutions," said Robert Friel, chairman and chief executive officer, PerkinElmer. "Health insurance plans believe in the clinical utility of this advanced test. We are excited with the early success we are having in expanding access to the verifi® prenatal test with top health insurance plans. We now have contracts with more than 15 health plans and recently signed agreements with two of the top five providers, increasing access to greater than 80 million covered lives. As plans are rapidly accepting non-invasive testing into medical policy coverage, we anticipate further coverage of verifi® by our existing 260 health plan contracts."
The verifi® prenatal test uses a single maternal blood sample, taken as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy, to detect the most common fetal chromosome abnormalities. It is specifically designed for women who will be 35 or older at delivery, women with a prior personal or family history of chromosome abnormalities, pregnancies that have received abnormal biochemical screening results, and pregnancies showing ultrasound abnormalities.
DNA-based NIPTs of fetal aneuploidies are clinically-proven as screening tools for Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome for high-risk pregnancies. As with any NIPT assessment for fetal aneuploidy, the confirmation via an invasive procedure is recommended for positive results.
Factors Affecting Future Performance
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About PerkinElmer, Inc.
PerkinElmer, Inc. is a global leader focused on improving the health and safety of people and the environment. The company reported revenue of approximately $2.1 billion in 2012, has about 7,500 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.
About Verinata Health
Verinata (www.verinata.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Illumina, Inc., is driven by a sole, extraordinary purpose - maternal and fetal health. Our initial focus is to develop and offer non-invasive tests for early identification of fetal chromosomal abnormalities using our proprietary technologies. We aim to reduce the anxiety associated with today's multi-step process, the unacceptable false-positive rates, the non-specific and sometimes confusing results of current prenatal screening methods, as well as the risk of current invasive procedures. We support national guidelines and the recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Committee Opinion recommending cell-free DNA prenatal testing is one option that can be used as a primary or secondary screening test in women at increased risk of aneuploidy. We believe women who desire such testing should be offered a single blood draw test with a definitive result. The verifi® prenatal test is available through a physician.
PerkinElmer, Inc.
Investor Relations:
Tommy J. Thomas, 781-663-5889
tommy.thomas@perkinelmer.com
or
Media Contact:
Stephanie R. Wasco, 781-663-5701
stephanie.wasco@perkinelmer.com
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Illumina, Inc.
Investors:
Rebecca Chambers, 858-255-5243
rchambers@illumina.com
or
Media:
Jennifer Temple, 858-882-6822
pr@illumina.com
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