Britain’s biggest private medical insurer is to start offering genetic testing and personalised prevention programmes, in a shift towards predicting disease before it develops.
Bupa said it would become the first major private medical insurer to integrate genomics-led prevention into its standard cover.
Under the programme, DNA analysis will be used to identify those at increased risk of conditions including breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes before symptoms appear.
Launching from Sept 1, it is designed to identify people who could benefit from earlier monitoring, preventive medication or surgery, rather than waiting until disease develops.
Under the scheme, eligible customers will first undergo a clinical assessment of their personal and family medical history.
Those whose assessment suggests genetic testing could influence their care will then be offered DNA testing.
Customers found to have inherited genetic variants linked to serious disease will be offered follow-up care that could include specialist advice, increased screening, medication or preventive surgery.
For instance, women assessed as being at increased risk of inherited breast cancer could be offered testing for genetic mutations including BRCA1 and BRCA2. Those found to carry high-risk variants may be offered drugs such as tamoxifen to reduce their cancer risk or preventive surgery, including a mastectomy.
The programme also includes pharmacogenomic testing, which examines how a person’s genetic makeup affects their response to medicines.