FDA halts sales of 23andMe DNA test kits

[Xithras]

39. So you believe the government should restrict INFORMATION because people might not understand it?

Remember that we're not talking about treatment here. We're not talking about DIY mastectomy kits, or empowering people to write their own asthma inhaler prescriptions. The only thing 23andMe is doing is providing INFORMATION. Nothing more.

There isn't a single medical decision that can be made from that information without the assistance of a doctor anyway. In fact, the FDA's idiotic public assertion that "women whose results indicate a risk for breast cancer, for example, could undergo unnecessary surgery or chemotherapy" makes zero sense whatsoever. Find me ONE doctor who would irradiate a patient, or remove her breasts, because an INTERNET BASED TEST told her that she might carry a cancer gene. There isn't a doctor in America who would risk the malpractice suits OR their medical license in a situation like that.

The reality here is simple. 23andMe undermines the FDA's idea that all medical information should come from a doctor, and it undermines the medical professions profit model. A DNA sequencing through your private doctor can cost you anywhere from $1000 to $5000, so having an Internet company offer the same service for $99 translates to a lot of lost profit for the medical community.