US REPS. ALEXANDRIA Ocasio-Cortez and Jan Schakowsky on Thursday sent letters to the two potential buyers of troubled genetic testing firm 23andMe demanding details about consumer data privacy should either of them acquire the company.
Signed by 20 other Democratic members of Congress, the letters were sent to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and TTAM Research Institute, which have put forth separate bids to buy 23andMe. In the letters, they ask Regeneron and TTAM if they will continue to give customers the option to delete their data and withdraw consent for their data to be used in medical research. They also want to know if 23andMe’s current policy of not sharing genetic data with law enforcement without a warrant will be upheld, and whether both entities intend to proactively notify 23andMe customers about the sale.
After struggling for years to turn a profit, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy protection in March and put its assets up for sale. Shortly after, its CEO Anne Wojcicki resigned. Wojcicki had tried unsuccessfully to take the company private but her proposals were rejected by a special committee formed by 23andMe’s board of directors.
In May, biotech company Regeneron announced that it was named the successful bidder in a bankruptcy auction, offering $256 million to acquire 23andMe. “We believe we can help 23andMe deliver and build upon its mission to help those interested in learning about their own DNA and how to improve their personal health, while furthering Regeneron’s efforts to use large-scale genetics research to improve the way society treats and prevents illness overall,” said George Yancopoulos, cofounder and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, in a company statement last month.
