Report: Consumers Ordering Testing Products Without a Doctor a Growing Trend

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Jan 11, 2016, 08:44 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasingly, consumers are ordering their own medical tests at retail locations or through mail order services. Kalorama Information said the U.S. market for direct-to-consumer laboratory testing is worth roughly $131 million for 2015. Sales have increased from just $15.3 million in 2010, largely due to the growing trend for genetic testing for predictive applications. The finding was made in The Market for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Routine Laboratory Testing, a new report from Kalorama Information.

Companies such as Health Check USA and Direct Labs have set up retail service locations for consumers while 23andme.com and Gene by Gene are offering DTC genetic testing for traits reports and carrier status reports.

"Today's consumer has a heightened awareness of health issues, benefiting from the availability of more information directly or indirectly educating and informing the individual about health issues, healthcare and treatment options," said Bruce Carlson, Publisher of Kalorama Information. "Consumers are increasingly taking on the responsibility for their own health and are willing to do the research and self-manage their acute and chronic conditions. This trend has been well documented in the development of the prescription-to-over the counter drug market, where in many cases consumers have been the driving force behind switches."

For many consumers, time and cost are considerable drivers for the self-treatment market. Purchasing an OTC drug, managing health with home treatments and, more recently the ability to gain laboratory results without a doctor's visit, is essentially less time consuming and money is saved avoiding doctor's visits. Convenience is also becoming a key factor in the decision to bypass the traditional route of treatment through a primary care provider as a growing number of services and products are being offered through retailers, which offer local options for services and a wider range of hours. Privacy concerns have been at the forefront of DTC lab testing recently. Purchasing genetic testing services in an online commercial marketplace raises significant privacy concerns, as consumers may turn over their DNA and other personally identifiable information to companies without a clear understanding of the privacy risks and without clear guidance as to their legal and regulatory rights in this area. Following some of the same patterns set in motion by the number of uninsured people is consumer choice in health delivery. There has been a desire to gain more health information in order to self-diagnose and self-treat effectively and safely. This trend has grown recently due to large increases in healthcare costs. Health condition information is readily available and the internet has played a part in this expansion. The FDA is also on the internet providing a significant amount of information, which is accessible to anyone interested in many of the treatment options for consumers.

New technologies in testing will likely continue to fuel growth in combination with an aging population, increasing disease incidence and prevalence, a focus on prevention and early detection, and new trends in personalized medicine. Limitations on reimbursement schedules, patient education, and about 8.5% of the population expected to be uninsured still by 2020 will fuel growth.

Kalorama Information's report, The Market for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Routine Laboratory Testing, provides reliable business intelligence on the growing Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Testing market. The report details the companies that are providing this service and innovations that have recently occurred in the market. The report provides the trends driving growth, and stats influencing companies in the industry, the incidence of diseases in the U.S. and worldwide, demographics; life expectancy, and company strategies. Information is presented as a U.S market report. The report can be obtained at: http://www.kaloramainformation.com/redirect.asp?progid=88248&productid=9588755.

About Kalorama Information
Kalorama Information, a division of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in independent medical market research in diagnostics, biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and healthcare; as well as a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased through Kalorama's website and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

We routinely assist the media with healthcare topics. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and our blog at www.kaloramainformation.com.

Contact:
Bruce Carlson
(212) 807-2622
[email protected]
www.KaloramaInformation.com

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SOURCE Kalorama Information