Comment by zeveb | Hacker News Reader

Comment by zeveb | Hacker News Reader

> Two years ago, US consumers could see more than 240 detailed health and trait reports, including risk factors for heart attack and type 2 diabetes. Then, at the end of 2013, the Food and Drug Administration clamped down. They implied that 23andMe's tests were inaccurate. They also worried that some consumers would misconstrue the risks, seeking out unnecessary treatments and changing their medication regimes without speaking to their doctors.

I can't even begin to describe how much this enrages me: I, a purportedly-free citizen of a purportedly-free republic, am not permitted to pay a firm to do its best to give me accurate information, because some unelected third party is concerned that I may make bad decisions based on that information.

What business of the State's is it if someone chooses to change his medical regimen without consulting his physician? It's his regiment, not the State's; it's his health, not the State's.

I'm a free man: I should be permitted to consult the best firms and practitioners I can in order to make decisions for my own lifestyle.

I'm sure you appreciate the other side of that argument – that organisations should not be able to advertise medical devices and services without demonstrating that the results are accurate.

The idea that a medical services company and an individual consumer are on the same footing doesn't carry much weight for me. One of the obvious solutions is for a state body to set a standard for what accuracy is required in order to make medical services available; this is a pretty ideologically coherent attempt to address the fundamental inequality there.

I'm happy to hear an argument that the FDA over-regulates, or that other regulatory approaches could be more beneficial. But a complete free-for-all invites a return to the days of snake-oil patent medicines – and I don't think that's something anybody wants to see.

The FDA implied that the tests are inaccurate. Where's their evidence?

They have no oversight--they are the oversight. That is a problem. They can claim anything, and use it as an excuse to add arbitrary regulations and rules that have an end result of pleasing lobbyists or voters or the latest celebrity-politician.

I think it's a complete tragedy that customers in the US can no longer get health information from 23andMe.

I started a genome software company that primarily targets the academic research market, but we recently adapted our software for 23andMe users: https://www.enlis.com/personal_edition.html

Happy to hear opinions and bug reports!

How does the report compare to the one generated by Promethease[1]? Promethease itself uses data from SNPedia[2]

[1] https://promethease.com/

[2] http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Promethease

Any idea where I can get a full sequencing at a reasonable price for personal use?

While I somewhat agree people should be able to have their DNA tested freely if they so choose, perhaps these regulations are wiser than we are aware at the moment. Look at what people foolishly give Facebook. Will these same people be more careful with their DNA information? Will this information be used against them at some point in the future? Just something to consider.

Anybody who finds a flake of your skin can have your DNA pattern; its not going to be something that can be kept secret. We'll have to learn to live in this brave new world, with such wonders in it.

The business of the state is to prevent false advertising, because it deprives the citizens of making informed decisions, and because it awards financial resources to those who are willing to profit by harming others.

It happens so that for health-related issues the bar for false advertising is higher than the for other products. I think it's for a good reason. The authority to set the bar was given to the FDA by the people's elected representatives.

The FDA started out with the best of intentions--to stop snake oil peddlers or food vendors who sold fatal concoctions as "delicious" or "miracle cures."

23andMe is not selling any drug. The FDA is now in the business of regulating information that goes to the consumer. And the FDA has increasing power with no oversight. Potentially life-saving medicines have to jump through decades of clinical trials before they can be used to save lives.

#myDNAmyData

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