Protecting the Integrity of Science and Sport – 2 Fields 1 Goal
2 Fields 1 Goal – Protecting the Integrity of Science and Sport
Doping in sports is a public health issue and is characterized by the misuse and abuse of medicines. It is no longer limited to elite athletes as it is increasingly found in amateur and school sports.
IFPMA members are committed to developing safe medicines and to ensuring their appropriate use for the wellbeing of patients, and are very concerned that their products could be abused for sports doping purposes. IFPMA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have joined forces to combat the latest doping techniques
Abuse of medicines to enhance performance in sports is a serious public health issue. While some approved medicines have abuse potential, their attractiveness for doping is reduced because they are well known, and are easily detected. However, medicines in pre-clinical or clinical development, as well as those withdrawn, may be less known. Compounds in development can be of great interest to dopers, regardless of their side effects. It is therefore very important for the anti-doping community and the research-based biopharmaceutical industry to address this issue in a coordinated and effective way.
IFPMA and WADA signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Fight against Doping in Sports, creating a strong framework for voluntary collaboration and cooperation among IFPMA member companies and WADA. Collaboration takes place on a case-by-case basis when a company-owned compound appears to have doping potential. The declaration draws attention to important concerns, such as confidentiality, and outlines some basic principles for managing them. IFPMA and WADA affirm their common objective to ensure proper use of medicines and compounds in development, to protect the health of both athletes and the public at large.
Our collaboration with WADA aims to identify medicinal compounds with doping potential, minimize misuse of medicines still in development, improve the flow of information, and facilitate development of detection methods