The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.
Genetic information company 23andMe Inc.’s “spit kits” will be available at Walgreens stores, a company leader said. But the company officially said no deal is imminent.
The deal, if it actually is finalized, would demonstrate how far Mountain View-based 23andMe has come since the Food and Drug Administration two years ago spanked it for not getting the agency’s approval before marketing its kit to consumers as a way to uncover disease-signaling gene mutations.
The FDA last year allowed 23andMe to bring back 36 health risk reports from the kit. Until then, 23andMe focused its kit on helping people discover their genetic ancestry.
“Soon we’re going to be in Walgreens,” said 23andMe Chief Scientific Officer Richard Scheller at a forum at the University of California, San Francisco. “You just buy one.”
It was unclear if a potential deal with Walgreens would include the full range of health reports from 23andMe or a selection of specific tests.
The company, however, appeared to backpedal on Scheller’s statement and would not discuss Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) specifically. Spokesman Andy Kill said 23andMe has “been open about exploring additional channels for our product and have talked with multiple retailers over the last few years. However, there is nothing imminent to announce.”
Read full, original post: Exclusive: 23andMe ‘spit kits’ may held to the shelves of this huge retail chain
