Myriad holds monopoly for BRCA1/BRCA2 testing

Myriad Genetics is the only place to go for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation testing. The Salt Lake City biopharmaceutical company has a monopoly on the test. Its scientists discovered the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in 1996 and patented their use for assessing the risk of genetically related cancer.

According to a Myriad spokesperson, 50,000 BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic tests were performed in 2006, compared with 35,000 in 2005. The firm expects demand to rise again about 43% this year. The automated gene sequencing technology covers 85% to 90% of genetically related breast cancer. Results from about 15 of every 100 tests are positive.

Testing charges vary. It costs $3200 to test the first person in a family, according to Robert Resta, a genetic counselor with Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Testing first-degree relatives-parents, siblings, and children-costs an additional $400 per person. For Ashkenazi Jews, the test costs about $500 because their susceptibility is based on fewer mutations than the general population, thereby requiring a simpler test, Resta said.