Harmony™ Prenatal Test Now Being Offered in Mexico for Safe and Timely Risk Assessment of Chromosome Conditions During Pregnancy

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ariosa Diagnostics announced the offering of its Harmony™ Prenatal Test in Mexico through a partnership with Advance Medical on August 22, making the Latin American nation with over 2 million live births one of 46 countries around the world where the Harmony Prenatal Test can be ordered by healthcare providers. The Harmony test enables clinicians throughout Mexico to offer a non-invasive, early, reliable blood test to pregnant women. The Harmony test is both safe and cost effective, providing a personalized risk assessment for chromosome conditions such as Down syndrome.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130225/SF62999LOGO)

The Harmony test has an accuracy rate above 99% for evaluation of fetal trisomy 21 risk, and a false positive rate of 0.1%, which is 50 times lower than conventional serum screening, translating into fewer referrals to unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures such as amniocentesis that carry the inherent risk of miscarriage.

According to Dr. Dora Gilda Mayen Molina, Medical Genetic Specialist at the Hospital Angeles Lomas and Hospital Angeles Mexico, "The Harmony Prenatal Test can be performed for women with pregnancies of at least 10 weeks gestational age, and it is available for any singleton or twin pregnancy, including all those conceived by IVF."

A recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology provided new evidence that non-invasive prenatal testing, specifically the Harmony test, is effective for screening in the general population. In the study of more than 2,000 women undergoing routine screening for fetal trisomies, the Harmony Prenatal Test accurately assessed the risk of all cases of fetal trisomy 21 and 18, with a false positive rate of 0.1 percent.

According to Dr. Thomas Musci, vice president of clinical and medical affairs for Ariosa Diagnostics, this partnership will "allow us to bring the highest quality and most clinically validated prenatal test to patients in Mexico for the betterment of prenatal medicine.  We are very pleased to have partnered with Advance Medical."

About Ariosa Diagnostics
Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company committed to innovating together to improve patient care. The flagship product, the Harmony Prenatal Test, is a safe, highly accurate and affordable prenatal test for maternal and fetal health. Led by an experienced team, Ariosa is using its proprietary technology to perform a directed analysis of cell-free DNA in blood. The Harmony Prenatal Test equips pregnant women and their healthcare providers with reliable information to make decisions regarding their health, without creating unnecessary stress or anxiety.

The company began operations in 2010 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information visit www.ariosadx.com and http://www.harmonymex.com. Follow us on Twitter @HarmonyPrenatal and on Facebook at Harmony Prenatal for Healthy Pregnancy.

Communications inquiries:
Jennifer Bruursema
[email protected] 
+1 (202) 316 4553

Partnership inquiries:
Sabah Oney, PhD
[email protected]
+1 (408) 229 5115

SOURCE Ariosa Diagnostics

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED