-- Now offering high-quality, affordable genetic tests for
Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy, dystonia, and expanded panels for
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and hereditary spastic paraplegia --
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Invitae
Corporation (NYSE:
NVTA), a genetic information company, today announced it now offers
genetic testing for neuromuscular diseases, including Duchenne/Becker
muscular dystrophy, dystonia, and pediatric neurodevelopmental
syndromes. The company also expanded its panels for Charcot-Marie-Tooth
disease and hereditary spastic paraplegia, progressive genetic diseases
that affect motor and sensory pathways.
Invitae now has nearly 100 carefully curated genes featured on its neuromuscular
menu, from which clinicians can easily select a pre-curated gene
panel, combine multiple panels, or customize their own panels based on
the clinical need of their patients.
"Genetic testing for neuromuscular disorders is important for the
diagnostic care of individuals suffering from these disorders and for
assessing risk in their family members,” said Elizabeth McNally, MD,
PhD, Ward Professor and Director of the Center
for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of
Medicine. “With the newly emerging gene-specific treatments
undergoing clinical trials, it is critically important to identify the
specific mutations responsible for neuromuscular disease. The addition
of genetic testing for neuromuscular disorders to Invitae's menu is a
great step towards providing high-quality testing at low cost,
consistent with the company's important long-term mission of driving
genetics into mainstream medicine."
Individuals with clinical evidence of genetic neurological conditions
may benefit from testing to confirm diagnosis, provide insight into
prognosis, confirm inheritance patterns, inform genetic counseling,
accelerate diagnosis in other family members, provide insight into
clinical management strategies for optimal patient care, and, in some
cases, establish eligibility for clinical trials.
“We are thrilled to see more options available for truly comprehensive
genetic testing for neurological disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth,
which affects nearly 2.5 million people worldwide,” said Patrick Livney,
CEO of the CMTA.
“Having a genetic diagnosis plays an important role in the quality of
life and clinical care for these patients. An expanded offering means
that more accurate, definitive answers are accessible to people with
Charcot-Marie-Tooth.”
Invitae’s team of medical and genetic experts combine full-gene
next-generation sequencing and exonic copy number analysis with rigorous
evidence-based variant classification methods to provide clearly
interpreted diagnostic results in an average of three weeks.
“Our neurology panel offers a very strong option for genetic testing for
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, hereditary spastic paraplegia, Duchenne
muscular dystrophy, and dystonia at an unparalleled price. Its addition
represents a major step in our path to expand these offerings to other
neurological disorders in the future,” said Tom Winder, PhD, FACMG,
medical geneticist at Invitae. “Our affordable pricing options combined
with the scientific and clinical rigor behind our testing and reporting
demonstrate Invitae’s commitment to making comprehensive neuromuscular
genetic testing more affordable and accessible.”
Invitae offers a transparent pricing structure independent of the number
of genes required to provide an accurate diagnosis for any specific
clinical indication. For payers and institutions who are in contract
with Invitae, the price per indication can be as low as $950, depending
on the payer’s requirements. For third-party payers with whom Invitae is
out-of-network and for non-contracted institutions, the price per
indication is $1,500. In addition, for patients without third-party
insurance coverage or who do not meet insurance criteria for coverage,
Invitae offers its full test menu for $475 per indication for patients
whose clinician has ordered the testing online and who register online
and pay in advance for the testing.
About Invitae
Invitae Corporation's (NYSE: NVTA) mission is to bring comprehensive
genetic information into mainstream medical practice to improve the
quality of healthcare for billions of people. Invitae’s goal is to
aggregate most of the world’s genetic tests into a single service with
higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower price than many
single-gene and panel tests today. The company currently provides a
single diagnostic service comprising hundreds of genes for a variety of
genetic disorders associated with oncology, cardiology, neurology,
pediatrics and other rare disease areas.
For more information, visit our website at ir.invitae.com
and follow us on Twitter: @invitae
and @invitaeIR.
Safe Harbor Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements relating to the benefits of genetic testing and the
company’s tests; the company’s belief that the pricing of its
neurological panel is unparalleled and represents a major step toward
expanding its offerings for other neurological disorders in the future;
the importance of specific mutations; the company’s expectations
regarding the release of additional tests and the timing thereof; the
benefits of the company’s pricing and billing policies; and the ability
of the company to realize its goals, including making genetic testing
more affordable and accessible to billions of people. Forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be
considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the company’s history of
losses; the company’s ability to generate substantial demand for its
tests; the company’s ability to develop and commercialize new tests and
expand into new markets; the risk that the company may not obtain or
maintain sufficient levels of reimbursement for its tests; risks
associated with the company’s ability to use rapidly changing genetic
data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; the
company’s ability to compete; laws and regulations applicable to the
company’s business, including potential regulation by the Food and Drug
Administration; and the other risks set forth in the company’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set
forth in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended June 30, 2015. These forward-looking statements speak only as of
the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to
update these forward-looking statements.

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Source: Invitae Corporation