A Biotech First

By Unmesh Kher

In the next few weeks, Roche Diagnostics, a division of the Swiss drug giant Roche, will be ready to ship the first FDA-approved DNA diagnostic chips to labs in the U.S. The tiny gene detector, named AmpliChip, can help physicians assess how sensitive patients are to many commonly prescribed drugs. But will doctors order the test, which could cost $520? "We need to drive awareness," admits Heino von Prondzynski, global head of Roche Diagnostics. "Physicians usually don't know what to do with this information." Roche will also have to persuade insurers to cover the expense. It does have the stats on its side: adverse drug reactions take more than 100,000 lives and add $136 billion to U.S. health-care costs each year. --By Unmesh Kher