Apr 8, 2016 04:42 AM
Experts say there's little evidence meldonium enhances performance
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/oly.../82663156/
EXCERPT: . . . “There’s really no evidence that there’s any performance enhancement from meldonium. Zero,” said Don Catlin, a long-time anti-doping expert and the scientific director of the Banned Substances Control Group. Those supporting meldonium’s ban point to its potential to enhance performance and measures of its use by athletes, both before and since the ban. Those questions highlight a difficult position for WADA. With scant existing research, how does it know meldonium enhances performance? Does it need to ban a drug like meldonium before it understands its benefits and potential harms because it sees athletes using the drug? And if it’s not enhancing performance, why are a large number of seemingly healthy athletes taking a drug used to treat patients with heart problems? ...
Olympics: This banned drug is crippling Russia's teams with the Rio Summer Games months away
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3752744-155...-crippling
EXCERPT: With the Olympics just months away, the team shuffles and growing number of positive tests for meldonium by other Russian athletes have raised further questions about the country's entire athletic program. [...] Since January, 158 other Russian athletes have tested positive for meldonium, including Semion Elistratov, an Olympic short-track speedskating gold medalist, and Yuliya Efimova, a four-time swimming world champion. Reuters reported Thursday that another 40 Russian athletes are under investigation for meldonium use and that "several hundred" Russian athletes took the drug before it was banned....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/oly.../82663156/
EXCERPT: . . . “There’s really no evidence that there’s any performance enhancement from meldonium. Zero,” said Don Catlin, a long-time anti-doping expert and the scientific director of the Banned Substances Control Group. Those supporting meldonium’s ban point to its potential to enhance performance and measures of its use by athletes, both before and since the ban. Those questions highlight a difficult position for WADA. With scant existing research, how does it know meldonium enhances performance? Does it need to ban a drug like meldonium before it understands its benefits and potential harms because it sees athletes using the drug? And if it’s not enhancing performance, why are a large number of seemingly healthy athletes taking a drug used to treat patients with heart problems? ...
Olympics: This banned drug is crippling Russia's teams with the Rio Summer Games months away
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3752744-155...-crippling
EXCERPT: With the Olympics just months away, the team shuffles and growing number of positive tests for meldonium by other Russian athletes have raised further questions about the country's entire athletic program. [...] Since January, 158 other Russian athletes have tested positive for meldonium, including Semion Elistratov, an Olympic short-track speedskating gold medalist, and Yuliya Efimova, a four-time swimming world champion. Reuters reported Thursday that another 40 Russian athletes are under investigation for meldonium use and that "several hundred" Russian athletes took the drug before it was banned....