The do-it-yourself test market, estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion globally, is expanding 20 percent a year as new checks for colon and prostate cancer, HIV, chlamydia, stomach ulcer, sperm count and drug abuse take their place on pharmacy shelves alongside standards such as blood-sugar monitors for diabetics and pregnancy tests, according to Alan Hirzel, a London-based partner at consulting company Bain & Co. […]
Mode expects to begin selling its colon-cancer test, the first in a series of do-it-yourself medical checks it’s developing, directly to patients for about 25 pounds ($38) through online retailers such as Amazon.com Inc. in the second half of the year, Heaney said. The company is awaiting European regulatory permission this year, Heaney said. […]
1st Health Products’ top sellers are its tests for chlamydia, a biological marker that may indicate prostate cancer, urinary-tract infections, colon polyps that may signal cancer and commonly abused drugs including cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis, Kirby said. Prices range from 10 pounds to 15 pounds and most of the tests check for the presence of an antibody or antigen that causes a color change.
More here. Recommendation: Bundle the tests with a handbook on Bayesian inference. What could possibly go wrong?
