Noninvasive Prenatal Testing Market Set for Explosive Growth

The global noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market is expected to grow more than ten-fold in the next five years. These are the latest findings of Transparency Market Research (Albany, NY, USA), a global information and research provider.

NIPT, the noninvasive genetic screening test for common chromosomal abnormalities (trisomy 21, trisomy 18, trisomy 13, monosomy X, etc.) can detect the presence of abnormalities in fetuses of pregnant women as early as 9–10 weeks of gestation, with some of the most commonly detected chromosomal aneuploidies include Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Patau syndrome, and monosomy X. The market is also evolving rapidly due the advantages it offers over conventional prenatal screening and diagnostic methods such as maternal serum screening, nuchal translucency (NT) scan, amniocentesis, and chorionic villus sampling (CVS). These advantages include safety, accuracy, and no risk of miscarriage.

MaterniT21 PLUS, verifi, Harmony, Panorama, NIFTY, PrenaTest, and BambniTest are currently the commercially available NIPTs, all based on the direct analysis of cell-free fetal DNA in the maternal blood. In 2012, MaterniT21 (a proprietary product of Sequenom) accounted for the largest share (36.6%) of the market in terms of revenue, owing to the fact that it was the first mover in the market place. During the forecast period 2013 to 2019, it is likely to lose some of its share due to increasing market penetration by other, aforementioned NIPTs such as Panorama and verify.

Almost every company in this market is adopting the same business model of marketing their tests via alliances with hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and physician offices. The increasing penetration by test developers in European, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East countries indicates promising growth in the near future. Sequenom (San Diego, CA, USA), Verinata Health (Redwood City, CA, USA), Ariosa Diagnostics, and Natera (San Carols, CA, USA), are the leading companies engaged in providing noninvasive prenatal tests worldwide.

The global NIPT market was valued at USD 220 million in 2012 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.6% from 2013 to 2019, to reach an estimated value of USD 3.62 billion by 2019. Geographically, North America was the largest regional market in 2012, with a market share of 64.5% of the total revenue generated globally, followed by Europe.

Related Links:
Transparency Market Research
Sequenom
Verinata Health