Genetic Test Kit Wars
A war among pharmacy giants, CVS and Walgreens has been brewing for months. The battleground will take place at the approximately 14,000 locations across the US. At stake, potentially billions of dollars tied to the burgeoning field of genetic test data. One potential road block to the mass marketing efforts is the FDA and their increasing scrutiny as they evaluate the merit of “ home based “ genetic test kits. The tests which use a saliva sample are reported to predict an individual’s proclivity to a variety of diseases and reaction to specific drugs.
A race between Walgreens and CVS to bring the kits into their thousands of store locations has stalled as the FDA takes a closer look at the use and categorization of the kits. Opponents argue that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Without a medical professional’s interpretation of the DNA, consumers have been making health choices, including pre-emptive surgery based on the test data. WWW.generationhealth.com , a Florida based website, has sounded the alarm.
A short video that touches on the privacy concerns associated with genetic data and profiling received close to 2,000 views in under a week on the site’s main page. According to Generation Health, big pharmaceutical companies and the drug stores have a vested interest in the future of genetic testing and ultimately, benefit with increased drug sales. According to the site’s management, “ The mission of Generation Health is to provide information about the potential risks of using genetic testing. When we saw the video take off virally and approached close to 2,000 views in a week, we knew we’d struck a nerve. Our goal is to prompt potential buyers to think long and hard before opening Pandora’s box.”
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