Walgreen's Will Be First to Retail Personal Genomics Tests, if the FDA Allows it
Pathway Genomics' Personal Genetic Test Walgreen's could be the first direct-to-consumer retailer to stock personal genetic tests like this one via thegeneticgenealogist.com Walgreen's is ready to plunge headlong into the brave new world of personal genomics retailing, becoming the first retailer to stock store shelves with genetic-testing kits that can test for a person's likelihood of developing a range of genetic ailments, from Alzheimers to breast cancer to obesity. The FDA, however, isn't so thrilled. The tests, which retail for $20 to $30, allow customers to collect their own saliva sample in a vial and send it to the test's maker, Pathway Genomics of San Diego. For an additional cost -- ranging from $79 for drug-response results to $249 for a suite of "pre-pregnancy planning results and health condition analysis -- Pathway will analyze the customers' genetic code, scanning for markers associated with certain diseases. Tests like Pathways aren't new. They've been sold...