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.
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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
or
Illumina,
Inc.
Investors:
Rebecca Chambers, 858-255-5243
rchambers@illumina.com
or
Media:
Jennifer
Temple, 858-882-6822
pr@illumina.com
Source: PerkinElmer, Inc.
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