Natera: Prospera lung transplant assessment test granted Medicare coverage

Natera announced that it has received confirmation that its Prospera Lung donor-derived cfDNA, dd-cfDNA, transplant assessment test has met coverage requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Molecular Diagnostics Services Program, MolDX. The MolDX technology assessment program has determined that Prospera Lung will be covered under the existing Medicare Local Coverage Determination for Molecular Testing for Solid Organ Allograft Rejection for use in the surveillance setting in lung transplant patients. Lung transplantation has a five-year survival rate of 59%, the lowest rate of all transplanted organs. Moreover, in the last 20 years, there has been limited improvement in recipient survival. “Medicare’s decision enables broad access to the Prospera Lung test and represents a significant win for lung transplant patients and the field of transplant monitoring,” said Bernie Tobin, general manager of organ health at Natera. “Prior to this decision, nearly 50 percent of the top 50 transplant centers have used Prospera Lung. We are encouraged by this momentum and gratified by the ongoing support from members of the transplant community who understand the clinical utility of dd-cfDNA testing and the critical benefits it can bring to patients.”