Position on Prevention of Misuse and Abuse of Medicinal Products for Doping in Sport

Background

Abuse of medicinal products to enhance performance in sport is considered a serious public health issue by sport associations and public authorities worldwide. Doping in sport is understood primarily as the misuse and abuse of commercially available medicinal products, as well as those in development.

 

In 2010, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Fight against Doping in Sport*1. This has been further reinforced by the launch of the brochure “2 FIELDS 1 GOAL: Protecting the Integrity of Science and Sport”*2 which aims to achieve the goals of this joint declaration. Together with the launch of the brochure, WADA has released a booklet titled “The Points to Consider: Identification of Compounds with Potential for Doping Abuse and Sharing of Information with WADA”*3. These 2 documents provide guidance on how the pharmaceutical industry can support WADA in their fight against the use of doping in sport.

Our Position

Astellas supports this global initiative and is committed to our collective social responsibilities in this field. In support of this commitment, Astellas has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WADA to contribute to the fight against doping and in this way contribute to improving public health*4. Astellas commits to cooperate with WADA and our alliance partners in the following ways:

  • Identifying medicinal products in development with a potential for sport-related doping abuse
  • Cooperating by sharing relevant information on medicinal products with doping potential with WADA to support WADA in their development of detection methods for these medicinal products
  • Minimizing the risk of misuse of medicinal products with doping potential during clinical trials to avoid opportunities for abuse
  • Collaborating with WADA on appropriate communication plans when medicinal products developed by Astellas are associated with doping cases.

References

  1. IFPMA & WADA Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Fight against Doping in Sport
    https://ifpma.org/events/ifpma-wada-joint-declaration-on-cooperation-in-the-fight-against-doping-in-sport/
  2. 2 Fields 1 Goal: Protecting the Integrity of Science and Sport
    https://ifpma.org/publications/2-fields-1-goal-protecting-the-integretry-of-science-and-sport/
  3. Points to Consider: Identification of Compounds with Potential for Doping Abuse and Sharing of Information with WADA
    https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/wada_ifpma_2_fields_1_goal_points_to_consider_09sept2014_en.pdf 
  4. World Anti-Doping Agency and Astellas Announce Global Initiative to Prevent Misuse and Abuse of Medicines for Doping in Sports
    https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2016-10/world-anti-doping-agency-and-astellas-announce-global-initiative-to-prevent