FBI raids offices of microbiome company UBiome

The FBI searched the San Francisco headquarters of microbiome company UBiome late last week, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company sells several tests that sequence people’s microbiome to provide information that could inform their nutrition or health decisions. The agency is investigating the company’s billing practices, according to the WSJ, as are the California Department of Insurance and insurance companies. None of these groups has revealed the exact nature of their respective investigations. A person familiar with the FBI investigation told STAT that the agency has heard allegations that physicians who order UBiome’s tests for customers via a telemedicine service have been compensated in ways that may be illegal. It’s unclear whether Friday’s raid is related to these allegations.