DTC GENETIC TESTS COULD FACE GREATER FEDERAL SCRUTINY IN WAKE OF GAO REPORT

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketers of genetic tests may need to reconsider the product claims they are making to avoid a clampdown on sales by the federal government.

A recently published report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) accuses some makers of genetic tests intended for at-home use of engaging in misleading internet advertising. The GAO purchased tests from four websites using DNA from two individuals from which it created 14 "fictitious customers."

The results from the tests the GAO purchased are misleading because they make predictions that are "medically unproven" and too "ambiguous" to provide truly useful information to consumers, the agency said. Two of the websites also misled consumers by recommending costly dietary supplements, the GAO added.

In a Senate Special Committee on Aging July 27 hearing, convened to discuss the GAO findings, Chairman Gordon Smith (R-Or.) called the ads "modern day snake oil" and indicated he wants to see more stringent regulation of genetic test manufacturers that conduct DTC marketing.