Non-invasive prenatal test due to be released in US

A news release from the National Down Syndrome Society in New York, proposing criteria for new types of prenatal testing, coincides with reports of the first commercial release of  non-invasive prenatal tests that are reported to diagnose Down syndrome, with more than 98% accuracy:
National Down Syndrome Society Establishes Criteria to Evaluate Companies with Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Tests for Down Syndrome

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) recognizes that many companies, both within the United States and abroad, are developing new noninvasive blood tests that might be able to detect Down syndrome prenatally.  The NDSS appreciates that these tests are likely to be safer for pregnant women than the current invasive options of chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.  However, before these new tests are made commercially available, companies should first meet all of  (these) criteria .... read the whole statement detailing the criteria.

New York Times article on the test's first commercial release, this week.

The research paper, to be published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, describing the latest trials upon which the release of this test is based is online here (the abstract is free).