Montreal, 25th March – The World Antidoping Agency has warned all anti-doping organizations to alert athletes as to the serious risks involved in taking a substance called GW501516, which is being sold on the black market and used by some athletes.
The side effects of this chemical compound are so serious that WADA has taken 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GW501516 was a developmental drug that was withdrawn from research by a pharmaceutical company due to the discovery of serious toxicities in pre-clinical studies.
Clinical approval has not, and will not be given for this substance, states the WADA message.
However, GW501516 has been available for some months on the black market, through the Internet and elsewhere. And Anti-Doping authorities have already seen its use by athletes, as there already are a number of positive cases.
More info on www.wada-ama.org