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Rite Aid stores in Washington, Oregon and California are now selling a paternity test kit. Genetic tests are already available on the Internet, but this is believed to be the first time such tests are available to consumers at a major pharmacy.

“There is a curiosity and a need to know that can be provided discreetly, conveniently and affordable at retail,” said Douglas R. Fogg of Sorenson Genomics, the company that sells the kits.

The suggested retail price of the test, called Identigene, is $29.99, though some stores sell it for as low as $19.99. Consumers must pay an addition $119 laboratory fee to have the samples analyzed.

Controversy over the Kits
Some doctors and geneticists are concerned about the spread of DNA testing to consumers, arguing that not all tests are valid or easy for consumers to interpret.

”Just because something’s available does not mean it’s safe or effective or worth your money,” said Kathy Hudson, who directs the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University.

Still, drugstores have been selling various diagnostic tests—including for pregnancy, cholesterol, and blood sugar—to consumers for years. Like the DNA tests, some of these were once the subject of controversy too.

The paternity test kit is supposed to be easy to understand, but Sorenson cautions that the test is intended to give consumers peace of mind, not ammunition in a paternity battle since the test would not likely stand up in court.

(Source: New York Times online)

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