genedrive plc announced that initial orders have been received for the Genedrive MT-RNR1 products from a further five UK hospitals in the Greater Manchester region as they progress towards the sustained deployment in clinical practice in these Neonatal Intensive Care Units ("NICU"). The total value of the orders is in excess of £100,000 and the NICUs of the five hospitals, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Stepping Hill Hospital, Royal Bolton Hospital, Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and Tameside General Hospital admit approximately 1,900 babies per year. These additional sites more than double the number of NICUs in the UK using the test in routine practice.

The Genedrive® MT-RNR1 ID Kit is a simple non-invasive test that can identify babies in NICU with an MT-RNR1 genetic variant rapidly in approximately 26 minutes who may be at high risk of hearing loss if given aminoglycoside antibiotics, enabling rapid clinical decisions on antibiotic prescribing in neonatal emergency care, and the avoidance of administration of aminoglycosides in those individuals in which the genetic variant is present. The Genedrive® MT-RNR1 test received conditional recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ("NICE") in March 2023, enabling its use in the NHS whilst further evidence is generated. Plans for generating the required further evidence are underway, with the goal of enabling transition from conditional to full recommendation by NICE, which in turn is expected to facilitate funding for the test at a national level.