June 5, 2023 – Cancer test maker Grail says a telemedicine provider falsely told about 400 patients they could have cancer.
The faulty messages were sent since the provider, PWNHealth, had a “software configuration issue” that has since been resolved, Grail said in an email statement. The New York Times reported.
The affected patients had purchased Grail's Galleri test, which detects a typical signal from 50 varieties of cancer based on the blood samples taken, the newspaper said.
The problem was not brought on by incorrect cancer test results, Grail told the Justand a few of the people notified had not even had their blood drawn.
PWNHealth notified Grail on May 19 that an “inaccurate form letter” had been sent to about 400 customers. The provider said in an emailed statement that a system used to send sample messages to people had a “misconfiguration,” in response to the Just.
“We fixed the underlying issue within an hour of becoming aware of it and implemented additional processes to ensure it does not reoccur,” the corporate said. “In collaboration with Grail, we began contacting affected individuals within 36 hours.”
Grail's parent company is Illumina, a number one manufacturer of gene sequencing machines. In April, the US Federal Trade Commission ordered Illumina desires to divest from Grail since the takeover would hinder competition in the sphere of cancer diagnostics. Illumina is appealing.