Issued on behalf of Premaitha Health plc
Manchester, UK: Monday, 21 March 2016
Premaitha Enters Middle East with Series of Regional Laboratory Hubs
Manchester, UK – 21 March 2016: Premaitha Health plc (AIM: NIPT, “Premaitha” or the “Company”), developer of the leading CE-marked complete non-invasive prenatal screening system, has signed two further distribution deals that will make the Company’s IONA® test available in the Middle East. Premaitha’s new customers are establishing three strategically located laboratories in the Middle East to act as regional hubs offering non-invasive prenatal testing to women using the IONA® test. The laboratories are expected to be operational during the second quarter of this year.
Premaitha’s IONA® test was launched in 2015 and is the leading CE marked complete system which estimates the risk of a fetus being affected with Down’s syndrome or other genetic conditions. Unlike traditional prenatal screening methods, the IONA® test is performed only on the mother’s blood sample, which contains traces of fetal DNA, and then analysed using next generation DNA sequencing technology. Due to its high level of accuracy, the IONA® test can significantly reduce the number of women subjected to unnecessary stressful and invasive follow up diagnostic procedures which are both costly and resource intensive.
“With an estimated 1.5 million births a year in the catchment areas which these three new laboratory hubs can address, these agreements will make the IONA® test available to a substantial number of women in the Middle East,” said Dr Stephen Little, CEO. “The IONA® test was designed to enable laboratories like these around the world to offer an approved, safe, fast, accurate and complete system in-house for non-invasive prenatal testing. We are delighted to expand our footprint into the Middle East.”
For more information, please contact:
Premaitha Health plc
Dr Stephen Little, Chief Executive Office
Joanne Cross, Head of Marketing
Tel: +44 (0) 161 667 6865
investors@premaitha.com
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Avi Robinson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7148 7900
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (Joint Broker)
Robert Naylor (Corporate Finance) / Maisie Rose Atkinson (Sales)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7886 2500
finnCap (Joint Broker)
Adrian Hargrave / Scott Mathieson (Corporate Finance)
Tony Quirke (Corporate Broking)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7220 0500
Vigo Communications
Ben Simons / Fiona Henson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7830 9700
premaitha@vigocomms.com
About Premaitha
Premaitha is a molecular diagnostics company which uses the latest advances in DNA analysis technology to develop safer, faster and regulatory approved non-invasive screening tests for pregnant women.
Premaitha’s lead test – the IONA® test – was launched in February 2015 and is the leading CE marked complete system which estimates the risk of a fetus being affected with Down’s syndrome or other genetic conditions. The IONA® test is performed on the mother’s blood sample – which contains traces of fetal DNA – and then analysed using next generation DNA sequencing technology from ThermoFisher Scientific.
Unlike existing prenatal screening methods, due to its high level of accuracy, the IONA® test can significantly reduce the number of women subjected to unnecessary stressful and invasive follow up diagnostic procedures which are costly, resource intensive and carry a risk of miscarriage.
Non-invasive prenatal screening is an emerging, multi-billion dollar global market and Premaitha’s complete CE Marked system enables laboratories and health care practitioners to offer an approved, non-invasive prenatal screening system in-house.
Premaitha is based in Manchester Science Park, United Kingdom and its shares trade on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: NIPT). For further information please visit www.premaitha.com. Follow us on twitter @PremaithaHealth.
