For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration is allowing the sale of a genetic test for cancer risk directly to consumers. The FDA today approved 23andMe's saliva test for three specific breast cancer mutations on BRCA1 and BRCAs genes, which are mostly commonly found in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
The test only costs $199 as compared to thousands if done through a doctor's office. Last April, the FDA gave the Mountain View, California-based company permission to sell tests for ten other diseases or conditions, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, macular degeneration and Celiac Disease.