Want to screen your own DNA and have a complete file on hand of every little quirk in your genes? Well, head on down to Walgreens. The pharmacy chain, one of the largest in the United States, has announced that starting Friday, consumers will be able to pick up a variety of , a company that specializes in home genetic testing. Basically you spit into a tube, send the tube off in the mail, and wait for your results. The tests have been available online for some time; however, this is the first time they’ll be offered nationally on store shelves.
Pathways offers a variety of kits at a variety of price points. While the kit itself will retail for a flat price somewhere between $20 and $30, the results will cost you. There’s a “Drug Response” screening for $79, “Pre-Pregnancy Planning” results for $179, “Health Conditions” for $179, or a combination of all results for $249. The company will even offer over-the-phone genetic counseling: $40 for a 20-minute phone call, and $99 for an hour-long conversation. If Pathways discovers something really bad in your genes, the counseling call is free.
The testing screens for 61 different health factors, and 8 different drug responses. While the testing isn’t a complete human genome work-up, it does test for the most common single-letter genetic code variations (also called single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs). Either way, I’m sure the total price point is still less than the cost of getting the same testing from your doctor!
Tags: Walgreens, Pathways Genomics, home DNA test, genetic screening, take-home genetics test, genetic health test available over the counter, unusual medical news, medicine, DNA test at home, DNA screening, single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs