BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health company announced the acquisition of the US Ariosa centralized laboratory prenatal testing business from Roche.

Ariosa's non invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) test, the Harmony Prenatal Test, is one of the most widely studied tests utilized in prenatal screening. The test has been performed in over 1.5 million patients. GenPath, BioReference's specialty health division, currently offers, ClariTest Core, which utilizes the same core technology as the Harmony Prenatal Test. The acquisition of Ariosa will complement this current NIPS offering.

"Throughout BioReference's 40 year legacy of diagnostic testing, women's health has been at the forefront of our focus," said Jon R. Cohen, M.D., executive chairman of BioReference Laboratories. "Last year, there were about six million pregnancies in the US, and prenatal screening for Down syndrome has become common practice. Acquiring the US Ariosa centralized laboratory prenatal testing business allows us to expand our NIPS offerings and further underscores our commitment to prenatal screening, allowing BioReference and GenPath to advance high quality and accessible testing that positively impacts the medical care and outcomes of patients and their families."

BioReference Laboratories, Inc., is one of the largest full service specialty laboratories in the United States that gives healthcare providers and patients the power to make confident healthcare decisions.

OPKO is a multinational biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company that seeks to establish industry-leading positions in large, rapidly growing markets by leveraging its discovery, development, and commercialization expertise and novel and proprietary technologies.