Illumina Files Patent Suit Against Premaitha's Customer in Poland

LONDON--Non-invasive prenatal test maker Premaitha Health PLC (NIPT.LN) said Friday that Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) has filed a patent infringement suit in Europe, against Premaitha's customer in Poland.

Illumina has filed against Centrum Badań Sp z o.o. and Medgenetix Sp z o.o. in the Regional Court in Warsaw, Poland.

The suit accuses Centrum and Medgenetix's use of the Iona non-invasive prenatal testing or NIPT test supplied by Premaitha of infringing European Patent 2 183 693.

Illumina has also taken similar action against Ariosa Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Roche, and their customer, The Doctors Laboratory, in the U.K..

Premaitha said it continues to make a robust defence against earlier claims by Illumina and the board is confident that the IONA test does not infringe the patents as claimed in the earlier cases or in relation to Friday's announcement.

Premaitha's flagship product, the IONA test is a non-invasive in vitro diagnostic product for prenatal screening enabling clinical laboratories to offer CE-marked NIPT in-house for the first time.

Shares at 1255 GMT down 2 pence, or 11%, at 16 pence.

-Write to Razak Musah Baba at [e-mail]; Twitter: @Raztweet

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 08, 2016 08:17 ET (13:17 GMT)

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