Providers of home testing kits for genetic conditions should be more transparent and adhere to a code of conduct, peers have recommended.

The House of Lords science and technology committee voiced concerns about ‘direct-to-consumer’ (DTC) tests for predisposition to conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and certain forms of cancer and blindness, which are increasingly available over the internet.

Patients receive results without proper medical advice, the committee found. And the companies who provide them are often based outside the UK, so the Advertising Standards Agency has no power to police bogus claims, it said.

A voluntary code of practice would, the committee said, “offer safeguards for the consumer by encouraging test providers to be open about the limitations of the tests offered, enabling consumers to make an informed decision about purchasing DCTs”.