Premaitha Health files 'robust defence' in Illumina's patent infringement suit

Premaitha Health has filed a "robust defence" in court regarding Illumina's patent infringement suit against the molecular diagnostics company.

The suit was filed in the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, Patents Court in the UK in March as Illumina argued that Premaitha's IONA test infringes its patents.

The test estimates the risk of a fetus having Down's syndrome, Edward's syndrome and Patau's syndrome by analysing cell-free fetal DNA from a sample of maternal blood.

Speaking on Tuesday, Premaitha's chief executive Stephen Little said: "We have looked at the legal position very carefully and, in our view, the claims are without substance."

Panmure Gordon analysts noted: "Non-invasive prenatal testing is a burgeoning area of interest in terms of healthcare screening and diagnostics, and it's no surprise that caims of IP infrigement are part of the competitive backdrop.

The broker remained confident in the business, adding: "Our investment thesis remains unchanged and we repeat our 'buy' recommendation."

Shares were down 2% to 23p on Tuesday at 10:48.