November 26, 2013

FDA halts sales of 23andMe DNA test kits

Source: USA TODAY

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration has ordered Google-backed genetic test maker 23andMe to halt sales of its personalized DNA test kits, saying the company has failed to show that the technology is supported by science.

23andMe's saliva-based test kit, launched more than 5 years ago, claims to tell customers if they are at risk for more than 250 diseases and health conditions. The FDA says only medical tests that have been cleared by the government are permitted to make such claims.

For years, 23andMe resisted government regulation, arguing that it simply provides consumers with information, not a medical service. But last year the company changed course, submitting several of the disease-specific tests included in its test kit.

Consumers order the company's $99 product online. Once the kit arrives by mail they are instructed to spit into a small tube, providing a saliva sample which is sent back to the company for analysis. 23andMe says the customer's DNA is analyzed to determine their likelihood of developing various diseases and responding to various drugs. The test also claims to provide information about ancestral background, though this information is not regulated by the FDA.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/25/23andme/3699329/

November 6, 2013

I love MSNBC's political music.

After 5 years it has really grown on me. Every time I hear it I think about the President. It has almost become Obama's theme music to me.

I hope they never change it.