The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7190 p385-391
23 March 2002

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Wellbeing Screening (www.personal-screening.com)

Good and bad news for new OTC testing systems

A testing kit for chlamydia infection was made available by mail-order this week. At the same time a genetics watchdog called for a home genetic testing kit to be withdrawn.

Wellbeing Screening, manufacturer of the chlamydia testing kit, says that the tests are comparable to those carried out through general practitioners. The test involves taking a urine sample which is then sent to a laboratory at University College London Hospitals Trust for analysis. Patients are provided with advice about positive results.

A spokeswoman for Wellbeing told The Journal that the company is in discussion with high street chains and independent retailers about making the test available in pharmacies. "We would like to involve pharmacists," she said. The company believes that there is a "huge demand" for the test.

Meanwhile, a call has been made for Sciona, the company that launched a genetic test through the Body Shop (PJ, 15 December 2001, p840), to withdraw it. GeneWatch UK, a genetics watchdog, said on 13 March that the test can be misleading because for most people non-genetic factors such as eating a healthy, balanced diet, taking exercise and not smoking are more important than their genotype in determining health. It also believes that the tests can have serious implications that customers are not warned about. Some of the genes tested may in future be linked with serious diseases such as cancer or heart disease, and this could be information an insurer or employer might ask for.

Gareth Roberts, Sciona's director, told The Journal that the company provided dietary advice and not information about susceptibility to serious disease. "There is a lot of dietary advice available. People often do not react to it because they believe it is too general. The test allows us to say which aspect of the advice is relevant to them."

If, in the future, genes that Sciona tests for are positively linked with a serious disease, he said that the company would continue to offer the test but would advise people to consult their doctor with the test results.

The chlamydia testing kits can be ordered from Wellbeing Screening on 0800 0281 082 and will be available on its website www.personal-screening.com.