PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the direct-to-consumer DNA data collection company 23andMe is not doing so well.
It has sold DNA kits to 14 million people since 2006. Along with AncestryDNA and MyHeritage, 23andMe possesses some of the largest DNA databases in the world.
Could these companies sell this information during tough times? The good news is that 23andMe has not moved in this direction.
However, people who send their genetic data to these companies are considered non-health care consumers, so this data is not protected under HIPAA, like our medical information. The journal suggests that Congress may need to step in.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.