Premaitha strikes IONA deal in Greece

MANCHESTER-based Premaitha Health has signed a distribution agreement with a company in Greece to provide its non-invasive prenatal screening test (NIPT), branded IONA, to laboratories in the region.

Premaitha has struck the deal with Antisel SA, a distributor of scientific products in Greece, for the test which detects the risk of a fetus being affected by Down’s Syndrome and other serious genetic conditions such at Patau’s Syndrome and and Edwards Syndrome.

The test is carried out by analysing fetal DNA from a sample of maternal blood.

As the first and only CE-marked (European approved) test of its kind, the IONA test enables clinical laboratories to run their own in-house service without having to send blood samples to central labs in the USA or China with a wait for results of up to 14 days.

All NIPT screening in Greece is currently carried out in this way.

However, the distribution agreement will give clinical laboratories in Greece access to the IONA test, allowing them to offer local NIPT screening for the first time and to take advantage of the test’s time to result of just three days.

Premaitha chief executive Dr Stephen Little said: “Antisel has an excellent reputation and distribution network within Greece and shares our mission to drive the broader uptake of NIPT so that more pregnant women can reap the benefits.

“This valuable partnership will enable us to provide the IONA® test to hospitals throughout the country and we look forward to working with the Antisel team to help support clinical teams in setting up their own NIPT screening service.”