To: All Anti-Doping
Organizations
It has come to WADA’s
attention that the black market substance GW501516 is being sold to and used by
some athletes.
The side effect of this
chemical compound is so serious that WADA is taking the rare step of warning
“cheats” to ensure that there is complete awareness of the possible health risks
to athletes who succumb to the temptation of using GW501516 for performance
enhancement.
GW501516 was a
developmental drug that was withdrawn from research by the pharmaceutical
company and terminated when serious toxicities were discovered in
pre-clinical studies.
Clinical approval has not, and
will not be given for this substance.
However, GW501516 has been
available for some months on the black market, through the Internet and
elsewhere. Anti-Doping authorities have already seen its use by athletes, as
there are a number of positive cases.
Please pass this information
on to your athletes as soon as possible
Best regards,
World Anti-Doping Agency