NEW YORK – Natera said on Thursday that health insurance company Centene has expanded its coverage of the Panorama noninvasive prenatal test to all pregnant women, including average-risk and twin pregnancies.
The coverage expansion follows the recent release of a new joint guideline by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) that supports NIPT screening in all patients, regardless of maternal age or pregnancy risk, and also endorsed the use of NIPT in twin pregnancies.
In addition, the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis (ISPD) earlier this week recommended the use of NIPT in twin pregnancies.
"The average-risk NIPT market is significantly underpenetrated today. We believe expanded insurance coverage and the recent society guideline will enable access for more women, unlocking significant volume growth," said Ramesh Hariharan, general manager for Natera's Women's Health business, in a statement.
Natera said that the expanded coverage by Centene will add 24 million people for whom the Panorama test will be covered.