Do Consumers Want Expanded Access to Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing?

In mid-April, the direct-to-consumer genetic testing firm 23andMe received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization to sell tests for 10 genetic health risk reports directly to consumers. As the New York Times reported on May 12, the tests pose potential programs for long-term care insurers who may not have access to results. While policymakers have been debating the appropriateness of these tests for more than a decade, little is known about past consumers’ views regarding the regulation of these products or whether personal experience with testing is related to these views.  A new study in the June issue of The Milbank Quarterly by Sarah E. Gollust of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and colleagues has found that a majority of consumers support expanded access to direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing (DTC-PGT) services and oppose additional government regulation, while those who have had a negative experience with the tests were less supportive of expanded availability without a medical professional.