NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – NewBridge Pharmaceuticals today announced an agreement to offer Verinata Health's non-invasive prenatal tests in the Middle East and surrounding areas.
Under the exclusive agreement, NewBridge will offer Verinata's Verifi test in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Caspian regions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, NewBridge is a specialty therapeutics firm that commercializes pharmaceuticals, biologics, diagnostics, and medical devices in the Middle East and neighboring areas.
Verinata's test uses a blood sample from the mother to detect trisomy 21, 18, and 13, as well as the most common fetal sex chromosome aneuploidies, such as Turner syndrome, Triple X, Klinefelter syndrome, and Jacobs syndrome.
Illumina last month announced that it is buying Verinata for $450 million, and PerkinElmer signed a deal to be the exclusive US marketing partner for the Verifi test.
"Verinata's goal is to be a global leader in maternal and fetal health," Vance Vanier, president of Verinata, said in a statement. "Newbridge Pharma's strong record of improving healthcare in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey makes them an ideal partner to bring the Verifi prenatal test to expectant mothers and the physicians who wish to deliver a world class standard of care."