Test for Down’s is ‘cheaper and more reliable’

A NEW test for Down’s syndrome has been described as a “major turning point in antenatal screening” that would also be far cheaper than the current NHS screening programme.

All pregnant women are offered the chance to have a blood test to see if their unborn child is likely to have the condition, but British company MAP Diagnostics has developed a test that analyses their urine instead.

The test has been found to have a greater than 90 per cent detection rate and can be used from eight weeks into the pregnancy.

Women who are between 11 and 14 weeks are currently offered a blood test and ultrasound scan, known as the combined test. If they are too far along for this, they can still have the blood test between 14 and 20 weeks of pregnancy, but this is less accurate than the combined test.

If these show they have a risk greater than one in 150 of having a baby with Down’s, they are then offered a choice of two invasive diagnostic tests to find out for certain – but both carry a one in 100 risk of miscarriage.

The new test would still need to be followed by a diagnostic test, but the company estimates it could still save millions of pounds for the NHS each year due to the reduced need for appointments for blood taking, scans and results, along with relatively affordable screening equipment.

Chief operating officer Professor Ray Iles said the test, described as the “result of a lifetime’s work”, was far more affordable than another blood screening method, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), which is currently only available in private hospitals in the UK.