Genedrive plc, the pharmacogenetic testing firm, has secured orders worth over £100,000 from five additional UK hospitals for its Genedrive MT-RNR1 rapid genetic testing kit.
The Royal Oldham, Stepping Hill, Royal Bolton, Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, and Tameside General hospitals have ordered the tests as they roll out the technology in their neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
Genedrive shares rose over 4% on the news on Friday.
The five new sites more than double the number of UK NICUs routinely using Genedrive’s 26-minute genetic test. The non-invasive kit identifies newborns with a MT-RNR1 gene variant that puts them at high risk of hearing loss from aminoglycoside antibiotics. This allows clinicians to avoid prescribing those antibiotics for babies testing positive. The five new hospital NICUs admit around 1,900 babies annually.
The orders follow the test receiving a conditional recommendation from the UK’s health watchdog NICE in March 2023. While gathering further evidence for a full recommendation, the conditional status allows use of the test in the NHS.
