Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Sunday April 09 2017, @12:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the to-look-or-not-to-look dept.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/health/fda-genetic-tests-23andme.html

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration said it would allow a company to sell genetic tests for disease risk directly to consumers, providing people with information about the likelihood that they could develop various conditions, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

The move on Thursday is a turnaround for the agency, which had imposed a moratorium in 2013 on disease tests sold by the company, 23andMe, which is based in Mountain View, Calif. The decision is expected to open the floodgates for more direct-to-consumer tests for disease risks, drawing a road map for other companies to do the same thing.

If you could take such a test, would you? Or would you rather just take things as they come?


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by KilroySmith on Sunday April 09 2017, @04:09AM

    by KilroySmith (2113) on Sunday April 09 2017, @04:09AM (#491066)

    Sure - but they aren't offering screening for particular diseases at the moment. Presuming they get to the point of offering screening for a number of different possibilities, at $20 a pop, several hundred additional dollars are still likely. Still well below my statement, but I still hate paying for something and finding out they're selling all my data behind my back (see: TurboTax).

    The fact that you haven't seen any evidence of abuse, doesn't mean squat. Your data belongs to them for all time - a quick sell-out to an insurance firm, and it's all over. Have you ever read their data privacy policy? Could you understand it? Did it clearly prohibit the scenario I gave above? If not, your genome no longer belongs to you.

    I am absolutely thrilled by the possibilities that genetic testing opens up. I'm absolutely horrified by the possibilitie that genetic testing opens up also.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2