WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A federal panel contends regulations for genetic testing have not kept pace with the growing number of U.S. consumers who buy such tests.
The Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society, argues in a report that a rising number of genetic tests have been advertised with unproven claims and could be deceptive, The New York Times reported Friday. The panel is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The tests claim to inform at-risk patients about such conditions and diseases as cancer, diabetes, heart failure and cystic fibrosis.
The panel warns that inaccurate tests or results inaccurately interpreted by doctors lacking experience could cause harm to sick patients needing proper treatment.
"We would welcome more federal regulation. It's unclear what regulatory requirements apply to our products," said Rosalynn D. Gill, chief science officer of Sciona, a company that conducts "nutrigenetic tests" over the Internet.
The panel wrote in its report that there are no regulations requiring test providers to disclose information supporting their claims and that proof of the tests' value is rare because the Food and Drug Administration is not assessing their validity in most cases.
