The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have joined forces to identify drugs with doping potential in sport.
WADA and the IFPMA, which collaborates with pharmaceutical giants including Roche and Merck, signed the Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Fight against Doping in Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The declaration signifies that the two organisations will work together to identify medicinal compounds with doping potential, minimise misuse of medicines still in development, improve the flow of relevant information and facilitate development of detection methods.
IFPMA president Haruo Naito acknowledged that medicines may be misused to enhance sporting performance, thereby creating unfair competition and putting athletes’ health and lives at risk.
“With pharmaceutical companies working hand-in-hand with WADA, more resources will be brought to bear on the scourge of doping, leading to cleaner sports and healthier athletes,” Naito said.
The declaration was specifically reviewed and approved by the regional or national pharmaceutical industry associations covering the European Union (EFPIA), Japan (JPMA) and the US (PhRMA).
