The __New York Times__ linkurl:has an interesting business story;http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/business/13diagnose.html on the growth of high-priced clinical diagnostic tests involving genomic and proteomic technologies. One chief scientific officer praised the makers of Oncotype DX (which rates the risk of breast cancer recurrence based on a panel of 12 genes) for validating their product in the clinic and then placing it ?in a Starbucks package at a high price.? At $3500 a pop, the test apparently appeals to a more exclusive club of health consumer. Even the name DX speaks to me of leather seats, wood paneling, and a temperature controlled cup holder for your latte. I was a tad surprised that this type of testing has moved so quickly to what another chief executive referred to as ??pharmaceutical-like? profit margins? (although it should be noted, that description was touted at an investor?s meeting). But how could the market be so hot for...
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