New Report seeks to Unravel the Ethical Issues Around Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing

PRLog (Press Release) - May 13, 2009 -
The report “Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing Business Prospects in the United States” available at http://www.reportbuyer.com/go/IPR00001  examines the social and ethical issues of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, including genetic privacy. It considers consumers' attitudes toward genetic testing and provides the views of industry leaders through exclusive interviews.

According the new 336 page report the current marketplace for direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing is very dynamic and fluid. At least 42 DTC genetic testing companies have been identified to date, and additional market entrants are likely. However, firms marketing and selling genetic tests DTC have numerous factors to consider.

Genetic testing has come a long way since development of the first genetic test in 1963. According to the National Institutes of Health, almost 1,500 genetic tests are now in use. Under the traditional business model, tests are performed with a physician's involvement, from ordering the test to communication of its results. But with the confluence of the Internet and completion of the Human Genome Project, the procurement of genetic tests is migrating from health professional-controlled domains to cyberspace, where these tests are available to anyone.

Marketing and selling genetic tests directly to consumers not only adds a new business model that can exclude the consumer's physician but raises scientific, regulatory, and even ethical issues. Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing: Business Prospects in the United States aims to sort out these complex issues surrounding the consumer business of scanning or sequencing genomes for health-related genetic information.

The report “Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing Business Prospects in the United States” is available from Report Buyer at:
http://www.reportbuyer.com/pharma_healthcare/therapeutic/...

Report Buyer product ID: IPR00001
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