22andMe and Regulatory Capture

As an 'old' customer, I get to keep the same services from 23andMe, the innovative company that provides genetic testing and information, but new customers will not get the same information. That means that they will be less informed about their own bodies.

As the WSJ recently noted, «The not-so-benevolent paternalists at the FDA write that "serious concerns are raised if test results are not adequately understood by patients," and 23andMe's direct-to-consumer model may inspire people to "self-manage" their care. For example, a false positive for the BRCA1 genetic marker that increases the risk for breast cancer "could lead a patient to undergo prophylactic surgery, chemoprevention, intensive screening, or other morbidity-inducing actions."

Or maybe it would lead a woman to talk to her physician about the options and, er, double check the results before undergoing a life-altering operation.»