NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Sequenom today raised its estimates for the number of billed MateriT21 Plus tests for 2012 to 40,000 as adoption of the test accelerated during the first quarter.
The San Diego-based firm had previously forecast 25,000 billings for the non-invasive fetal aneuploidy test for the year.
In the first quarter, Sequenom saw more than 12,700 total tests, including more than 4,900 MaterniT21 Plus tests, accessioned in Q1, it said. Based on the volume processed during the last week of the quarter, the annualized run rate for MaterniT21 Plus would be more than 30,000 tests.
Sequenom Chairman and CEO Harry Hixson said that the firm's lab, the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, has seen samples received and billed in early 2012 increase weekly.
"We expect this trend to continue with Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine's sustained commercial efforts throughout the year and have increased the internal goal to reflect our optimistic outlook," he said in a statement.
Sequenom's first-quarter earnings are scheduled for release after the close of the market on May 3.
In early Monday trade on the Nasdaq, shares of Sequenom were up 10 percent at $4.39.