Biotech Values

[genisi]

BRCA testing

Compliance with BRACAnalysis among cancer patients is so high not only because oncs do a better job promoting the test. It is also because someone who has already been diagnosed with cancer is more willing to be tested than an unaffected person. Considering the outcomes and therapeutic alternatives, many unaffected still don't want to know. I'm also quite certain that money isn't the main issue here as testing for the 3 Ashkenazi Jewish mutations in the BRCA genes costs like $100 in Israel and still most tests come from newly diagnosed cancer patients. Soon we'll have a cheaper analysis (full sequencing) of BRCA genes here (similar to MYGN's test), and it will be interesting to see if price reduction will help push the test among unaffected women. My own view is that it takes more education and awareness of both gyns and patients and adding genetic counselors in order to have better adoption of BRCA test in the this setting. MYGN knows the Ob/Gyn market is critical to sustained growth for BRCA test as the onc segment is quite saturated. They put a lot of effort in marketing and in time it will do the trick.

if someone is already at the gyns for a pap then they are already of the mindset of screening for cancer. that type of person should be receptive to the BRCA story if it is delivered appropriately

Agreed, but bear in mind that there's another psychological point about the BRCA test - unlike pap, it has implications on relatives not just the person itself. Part of the counseling is to emphasize this responsibility and help women overcome fears.

smoking is not quite the same...

Of course smoking isn't quite the same, it was an example for an irrational decision (btw, not all smokers have a genetic basis for their smoking behavior that they can blame for developing nicotine dependence. Besides, in order to become addicted, one has to try at least once since you cannot really be addicted to something you haven't tried. So the decision to start smoking is indeed irrational).