Verinata Health's Non-Invasive verifi® Prenatal Test Now Includes Unique Ability to Detect Additional Fetal Chromosomal Abnormalities

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verinata Health, Inc., a privately-held company dedicated to maternal and fetal health, today announced the launch of its expanded verifi® prenatal test to detect the most common fetal sex chromosome abnormalities. The verifi® test is now the most comprehensive non-invasive prenatal test available today for high-risk pregnancies.

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Available through a physician, the verifi® test detects Down syndrome (trisomy 21 or T21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18 or T18) and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13 or T13). The optional test expansion launched today includes the detection for Turner syndrome (Monosomy X), Triple X (XXX), Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) and Jacobs syndrome (XYY), the most common fetal sex chromosome abnormalities.  Also, the test may aid in stratifying the risk of X-linked disorders such as hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy or cases of ambiguous genitalia, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

"Verinata is pleased to offer the first non-invasive prenatal test to provide the option to include sex chromosome aneuploidies, such as Turner and Klinefelter syndromes," said Dr. Jeffrey Bird, Executive Chairman and CEO of Verinata Health. "Overall, the verifi® prenatal test expands the option to obtain more complete prenatal information than previously possible through non-invasive means, and potentially reduces unnecessary invasive testing."

"Today, SCAs are severely under-diagnosed. In fact, one in 500 babies born in the United States has an X or Y chromosome variation, with less than a quarter of the population diagnosed today," said Jim Moore, Executive Director of KS&A, an organization dedicated to helping people with one or more extra X or Y chromosomes lead fuller, more productive lives. "We are pleased to see Verinata Health expand its verifi® prenatal test to include detection of sex chromosome aneuploidies during pregnancy. Early identification and subsequent intervention could end the 'diagnostic odyssey' and lifetime of struggle that so many face as a result of never being diagnosed. KS&A stands ready to serve this community through educational resources and support."  For more information on KS&A, please visit www.genetic.org.

About the verifi® prenatal test

The verifi® prenatal test is a blood test that analyzes genetic material (or DNA) naturally found in a pregnant woman's blood to detect the most common fetal chromosome abnormalities.  When directed by a physician, the verifi test can be offered to pregnant women of at least 10 weeks gestation at high risk of carrying a fetus with a genetic abnormality. A physician may classify a woman as "high-risk" if she is over 35 years of age, has a prior personal or family history of chromosome abnormalities, or has had a positive initial screening test indicating she is at increased risk for carrying a fetus with a genetic abnormality. For more information on the verifi test, please contact Verinata Health's Client Services at 1-855-266-6563 (BMOMKND).

Verinata Health, Inc.

Verinata 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 throughout the United States, through a physician. For more information about Verinata, please go to www.verinata.com.

SOURCE Verinata Health, Inc.