January 8, 2010 (Ottawa, ON) – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) would like to inform athletes, physicians, therapists, coaches, and other members of the sport community about the change in status of certain beta-2 agonists, which are commonly found in asthma medications. This is a follow-up to previous advisory notes concerning the new 2010 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

Salmeterol and salbutamol are no longer prohibited when administered by inhalation only. They require a declaration of use, which can be provided on the doping control form at the time of testing, or through ADAMS if required by an athlete’s international federation.

Salbutamol is still prohibited when administered by any route other than inhalation, e.g., oral (pill form). If salbutamol is detected during drug testing procedures at a level above 1000 ng/mL, the athlete will have the burden of demonstrating through a controlled study that this urinary level was the result of therapeutic inhaled use of this medication.

All other beta-2 agonists (e.g., terbutaline and formoterol) are still prohibited when administered by any route including inhalation.

Athletes requiring prohibited beta-2 agonists must apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for asthma, including a complete beta-2 agonist annex and a medical file. Athletes subject to doping control should consult the CCES website (www.cces.ca/tue) or contact their international federation to get complete information on the application processes.

In addition, athletes selected for doping control must remember to declare the use of all prescribed medications (e.g., asthma medications and glucocorticosteroids) and all non-prescribed medications and supplements taken in the last 10 days.

Athletes can verify the prohibited status of their medication using the Global DRO at www.globaldro.com, which was updated on January 1, 2010 to reflect the new Prohibited List. Alternately, the CCES can provide information about Canadian medications by email at substances@cces.ca or by toll-free telephone at 1-800-672-7775.

Further reading:

– World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List here
– WADA Medical Guidelines for Asthma here
– WADA International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions here

The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization. Our mission, to foster ethical sport for all Canadians, is carried out through research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence, as well as through programs and partnerships with other organizations.