Spoil sport: Pfizer teams up with WADA to combat drug cheats
The US drugmaker signed up as WADA’s newest industry partner last night, joining GSK and Roche on the list of firms that have agreed to share data on pipeline candidates with “a probable or high risk of abuse in sport” to allow the development of detection methods.
WADA science director Olivier Rabin told in-Pharmatechnologist.com “As with any pharmaceutical company, Pfizer has specific proprietary drugs in development that have the potential to become the doping agents of tomorrow.
“Having a partner such as Pfizer included as part of a global strategy provides us with access to those drugs, and brings invaluable scientific and medical knowledge” he continued, adding that “It also gives us privileged access to their portfolio and knowledge on fields that are of specific interest.”
The partnership does not mean Pfizer R&D staff will have to don running spikes and head out to the car park for impromptu sprint hurdle races to test candidates for abuse potential as, somewhat disappointingly, the assessment process is much more sophisticated.
Rabin explained that: “It requires scientists to look for any similarity to the pharmacological characteristics of existing performance-enhancing substances and assess how they work in the human body.
“This would include, for example, stimulatory effects or improve strength or physical endurance. If the substance has the potential to meet one of the three criteria required for inclusion on WADA’s Prohibited List – that it has the potential to enhance performance; could be a risk to the health of an athlete; or is detrimental to the spirit of sport – then it may be added to the List.”
This was echoed by a Pfizer spokesperson who told us “WADA has created an efficient interface with bio-pharma companies and Pfizer was able to embed the anti-doping review seamlessly into our robust abuse potential screens during the drug development process.”
As with previous Big Pharma agreements, WADA’s aim is to develop ways of preventing cheating in sport according to Rabin who said “Anti-doping experts can use information better on new drugs to establish a closer assessment of the drug’s doping potential, and proactively develop preventive measures to prevent abuse in sports.”
Why?
But why stop sports stars popping pills?
If a world class athlete is willing to risk their health by taking a legal substance that helps them run faster, cycle farther or... er... polish more effectively – I’m not sure if doping is a problem in curling – then why not let them?
Formula 1 racers risk their lives in untested car designs to gain the edge over the rivals in the name of sport, so why not let athletes do the same and use performance enhancing pharmaceuticals?
The reason, according to Rabin, is the spirit of sport.
“One of the organization’s main principles – and indeed one of the criteria under which a substance or method may be considered prohibited – is the spirit of sport. It is essential for WADA to uphold an effective anti-doping system that maintains a level playing field so that all athletes can have the confidence that sport will be competed fairly – this is every athlete’s right.”
“Furthermore, it has been proven that a number of substances abused by athletes in the past can have a serious and detrimental effect on an athlete’s health, therefore it is important that WADA upholds robust anti-doping rules for the sake of the athletes’ good health worldwide.”
