What can’t you buy on Amazon these days?
Unfortunately for brick and mortar stores, the online retail giant continues to expand at a voracious pace, underscored by the recent addition of prescription carrier screening tests.
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The tests belong to Good Start Genetics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company that first partnered with Amazon in November 2016.
Good Start is part of a growing class of companies that use next-generation sequencing to understand a couples’ risk of passing a genetic condition to future offspring. Depending on the results, families can choose alternative pregnancy options, adoption, or simply prepare better for a possible disability.
The idea of selling the kit on Amazon highlights the intriguing sales logistics. As with other genetic tests, the results can have profound consequences. They’re also difficult for laypeople to fully understand. For this reason, the tests remain physician-ordered only and Good Start offers free access to board-certified genetic counselors alongside its kits.
To date, the only product available was VeriYou, a saliva-based test that screens for cystic fibrosis (CF) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — two of the most common inherited genetic disorders. Approximately 1 in every 19 Americans carries one of these mutations. If both parents are affected, their offspring have a 25 percent chance of inheriting the disorder.
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Consumers that purchase VeriYou are sent instructions for registering the test online. The process requires a rundown of the person’s family history and consent information. A licensed physician will then review and order the test, if appropriate.
It doesn’t seem a natural fit for Amazon, but the pseudo-direct-to-consumer approach confers a number of benefits. It differentiates Good Start’s tests in a crowded market and normalizes the idea of carrier screening. It also provides transparency into the process and the total out-of-pocket cost.
And, as the company noted in the November media release, “Good Start is positioned to offer its physician-ordered genetic tests to couples at the right time, based on life stage insights from Amazon.” In other words, if you’re buying prenatal supplements on Amazon, there’s a chance you’ll see Good Start’s ad appear.
With the proof-of-concept complete, the company has now announced plans to expand its Amazon offering, adding the VeriYou AJ/SMA test to the catalog. It screens for SMA and the 17 most prevalent genetic disorders in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.
Given the evolution of patient-centric healthcare – and the dominance of Amazon – it was likely just a matter of time. A recent report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) estimates that Amazon captured 46 percent of all online spending in 2016.
“Healthcare is rapidly changing in a way that enables new delivery models in reproductive health that broaden access and affordability for millions,” said Jeffrey Luber, Good Start’s president and CEO in a company statement. “Central to our commitment to responsible testing, is our inclusion of physician ordering and world-class genetic counseling with every test, and at price points not previously seen in the market.”
Despite its best efforts, some barriers will always remain. Even today, many pregnancies are unplanned. The CDC cites statistics from 2006, which found 49 percent of pregnancies were unintentional. That leaves a lot less room for carrier screening, even when you’re tracking purchasing decisions.
Photo: vasabii, Getty Images
