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Europe to ban direct-to-consumer genetic tests?

Nature Biotechnology volume 26, pages 736–737 (2008)Cite this article

To the editor:

In the February issue, Charles Schmidt1 describes some of the regulatory challenges associated with the boom in direct-to-consumer genetic tests marketed by companies in the United States and Iceland. On May 7, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approved an additional protocol concerning genetic testing for health purposes2 to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. This additional protocol deals partly with direct-to-consumer services and as such has the potential to directly affect the business of companies providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing in Europe.

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References

  1. Schmidt, C. Nat. Biotechnol. 26, 145–146 (2008).

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  2. Council of Europe. Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, Concerning Genetic Testing for Health Purposes. (Council of Europe, Brussels, Belgium, 2008). http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/TestGen.htm

  3. Council of Europe. Explanatory Report to the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, Concerning Genetic Testing for Health Purposes (Council of Europe, Brussels, Belgium, 2008). http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Reports/Html/TestGen.htm

  4. http://www.hgc.gov.uk

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  11. http://www.itas.fzk.de/eng/etag/project.htm

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Kapucijnenvoer 35/3, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Pascal Borry

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  1. Pascal Borry
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Borry, P. Europe to ban direct-to-consumer genetic tests?. Nat Biotechnol 26, 736–737 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0708-736

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