In a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday, the AMA called for genetic testing to be conducted under the guidance of a physician, genetic counselor, or other genetics specialist. The letter was sent to the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the FDA’s Medical Devices Advisory Committee regarding direct to consumer genetic tests prior to the panel’s hearings on the topic, scheduled for March 8 and 9. The AMA supports regulation of direct to consumer genetic tests, as well as the creation of a Genetic Testing Registry (GTR), which should include information about the clinical authenticity for each test available to patients.

Click here to read the AMA news release on genetic testing.