SAN DIEGO, June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.
About Sequenom
Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) is a life
sciences company committed to improving healthcare through
revolutionary genomic and genetic analysis solutions. Sequenom
develops innovative technology, products and diagnostic tests that
target and serve molecular diagnostic markets. Website:
www.sequenom.com.
About Sequenom Laboratories
Sequenom Laboratories, a
CAP accredited and CLIA-certified molecular diagnostics laboratory,
has developed a broad range of laboratory-developed tests, with a
focus on prenatal and ophthalmological diseases and conditions.
Branded under the names SensiGene™, MaterniT21™ PLUS, HerediT™,
NextView™ and RetnaGene™, these molecular genetic
laboratory-developed tests provide early patient management
information for obstetricians, geneticists, maternal fetal medicine
specialists and ophthalmologists. Sequenom Laboratories is changing
the landscape in genetic disorder diagnostics using proprietary
cutting edge technologies.
SEQUENOM®, MaterniT21™ PLUS, SensiGene™, HerediT™, NextView™ and
RetnaGene™ are trademarks of Sequenom, Inc. All other trademarks
and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical
information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press
release, including statements regarding the market's continued
acceptance and adoption of noninvasive prenatal testing, access to
the MaterniT21 PLUS test and the benefits and impact of the test
and the payor agreement on patients, their families, and
physicians, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to
risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially, including the risks and uncertainties associated with
reliance upon the collaborative efforts of the national payor,
Sequenom's ability to develop and commercialize new technologies
and products, particularly new technologies such as prenatal and
other diagnostics and laboratory developed tests, Sequenom's
ability to manage its existing cash resources or raise additional
cash resources, competition, intellectual property protection and
intellectual property rights of others, government regulation
particularly with respect to diagnostic products and
laboratory-developed tests, obtaining or maintaining regulatory
approvals, ongoing litigation including patent litigation, and
other risks detailed from time to time in Sequenom, Inc.'s most
recent Quarterly and Annual Reports on Securities and Exchange
Commission Forms 10-Q and 10-K, respectively, and other documents
subsequently filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange
Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on current
information that may change and you are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking
statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary
statement, and Sequenom undertakes no obligation to revise or
update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or
circumstances after the issuance of this press release.
![SEQUENOM logo SEQUENOM logo](http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20040415/SQNMLOGO)
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040415/SQNMLOGO
SOURCE Sequenom, Inc.