Point of care molecular diagnostics company Genedrive plc (AIM:GDR) announced on Thursday that its Genedrive MT-RNR1 ID Kit has received a positive final recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Following a public consultation process, NICE has ratified and finalised its recommendation that the Genedrive MT-RNR1 test can be used by the NHS in England and Wales.

This decision was based on a number of key conclusions, including that the test can quickly and accurately identify babies with the MT-RNR1 genetic variant who may be at risk of hearing loss if given aminoglycoside antibiotics, and that no other test is available to provide results quickly enough to inform decisions on antibiotic prescribing in emergency care.

The review was conducted through NICE's Early Value Assessment (EVA) programme, which was designed to select and recommend new technologies that will make a real difference to patients and provide the most value for the NHS.