Ancestry.com is entering the growing field of genetic health screenings with a strategy that’s markedly different from that of its biggest competitor.
Ancestry said Tuesday that its new consumer health tests will require authorization by a physician. Its main competitor, 23andMe, went through the lengthy and expensive process of getting approval from the Food and Drug Administration so it can sell its tests directly to customers without a prescription.
The involvement of doctors in Ancestry’s tests places it in the midst of a debate over whether physician-ordered genetic screening is merely a way for companies to avoid the regulatory scrutiny of the FDA. Several other DNA startups, including Color and Veritas, also require a doctor to order health tests.
Additional story at Health Watch: https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/ancestrys-dna-health-screening-will-require-doctors-order
