Well atleast we know that drug is safe
http://m.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl ... 7009295058US Food and Drug Administration rules Essendon peptide safe to consume
CHIP LE GRAND
THE AUSTRALIAN
AUGUST 01, 2014 12:00AM
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A CONTENTIOUS peptide at the centre of the Essendon doping scandal that prompted calls for the club’s captain to be stripped of his Brownlow Medal has been declared safe to consume by the US Food and Drug Administration.
FDA approval for AOD9604 to be added to food, drinks and dietary supplements will provide comfort to Essendon players who were administered the substance during the 2012 season. As recently as last month, Australian Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Ben McDevitt raised concerns about long-term health impacts.
The GRAS (Generally Recognised as Safe) status throws into question the World Anti-Doping Authority’s stated reason for declaring AOD9604 a banned substance: that it had not been approved for human use.
Andrew Garnham, a sports physician who last year advised Essendon on the safety and anti-doping status of AOD9604, said the FDA approval was based on information largely publicly available during the supplements saga.
“The fact that this process has taken place does add a level of comfort, particularly as people have continued to contend some of that information,’’ Dr Garnham told The Australian.
It was still prudent for Essendon and the AFL Players Association to monitor the health of players injected with other substances as part of the 2012 regime. “We still have to be mindful of the fact that concerns have been raised about other substances and I do not know with any level of certainly what was used and how much was used. We certainly still have to be guarded.’’
Essendon players are accused of taking a banned peptide, Thymosin Beta-4, as part of a supplements regime administered by sports scientist Stephen Dank.
The case against the players is on hold until the Federal Court decides the legality of a joint AFL-ASADA investigation into the club.
Until recently, AOD9604 was a key battleground between Essendon, the AFL and the anti-doping authorities.
WADA declared on April 22 last year — because the AOD9604 was not approved for therapeutic use — that it was a banned substance.
Yet, two weeks later, ASADA’s head of intelligence, Paul Simonson, told Essendon players and officials he would need “rocks in my head’’ to try to build a case against players based on use of AOD9604.
His view was consistent with that of AFL integrity officer Brett Clothier — as recalled by Essendon coach James Hird in his evidence to ASADA — when he told club officials on February 6, the day Essendon “self-reported’’ concerns about its supplements program, that ASADA wasn’t interested in AOD9604.
However, when Essendon captain Jobe Watson subsequently confirmed in a television interview what he had told ASADA investigators — that he believed he was administered with AOD9604 — it prompted calls for him to be stripped of his 2012 Brownlow Medal.
At least 18 Essendon players told ASADA they believed they were injected with AOD9604 or treated with a cream containing the substance.
In an interview on ABC Radio last month, Mr McDevitt said a prosecution based on AOD9604 would be unfair and most likely unsuccessful. He went on to describe Essendon’s use of the drug as “grossly irresponsible’’.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:54 pm