News Posted: 8 October 2009

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), UK Sport, and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) have announced a landmark partnership to jointly launch The Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO).

Developed by USADA the Global DRO is an online directory that provides critical information to athletes and support personnel about the prohibited status of specific substances under the rules of sport, based on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. The directory is updated regularly to include new products entering the marketplace or to adjust for changes in status, and all data is fully verified by pharmacists experienced in the field of anti-doping.

"A key element in supporting clean athletes with understanding and complying with the Prohibited List is to provide resources on the ingredients and brands of medications that they might encounter," said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. "We are pleased to partner with UK Sport and CCES to expand this invaluable resource, which plays a critical role in facilitating anti-doping education worldwide."

Visitors can search Global DRO for specific information on products sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, accessed at www.GlobalDRO.com. Searchers can find the status of these various ingredients and brands, and more specifically whether they are classified as "Prohibited," "Not Prohibited," or "Requires Declaration."
The data sources for Global DRO in each partner country are as follows:

• United States: Gold Standard Media, publisher of Clinical Pharmacology.
• United Kingdom: British National Formulary, Chemist and Druggist and Monthly Index of Medical Specialties.
• Canada: Canadian Drug Product Database, Health Canada.

UK Sport's Director of Drug-Free Sport, Andy Parkinson, said: "It is fantastic that Global DRO has been launched, and I am delighted that athletes across the UK can now access this resource. It is of paramount importance that they have such information at their disposal, and it is therefore pleasing that we have an enhanced replacement for our prior resource, the Drug Information Database (DID). It has been very positive to have been able to work together with our colleagues at USADA and CCES to form this new partnership, and continue a unified approach to the global fight against doping."