October 6, 2009 (Ottawa, Ontario) – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and UK Sport are pleased to announce a landmark partnership to jointly launch the Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO).

Developed initially by USADA as a resource for the U.S. only, the now multi-national Global DRO is an on-line directory that provides critical information to athletes and support personnel about the prohibited status of specific substances under the rules of sport, based on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. The directory is updated regularly to include new products entering the marketplace or to adjust for changes in status, and all data is fully verified by pharmacists experienced in the field of anti-doping.

CCES CEO Paul Melia said: “We are very excited about the new Global DRO, and are pleased to have been able to contribute alongside USADA and UK Sport in the development of this great product. It’s another example of international cooperation toward our common goal of protecting athletes’ rights to drug-free sport. I think Canadian athletes and physicians will both benefit from this new substance inquiry service: a simple online interface that provides quick and clear answers to their queries about Canadian, British and American brand name drugs. ”

Visitors can search Global DRO for specific information on products sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, accessed at www.globaldro.com. Searchers can find
the status of these various ingredients and brands, and more specifically whether they are classified as “Prohibited,” “Not Prohibited,” or “Requires Declaration.”

The data sources for Global DRO in each partner country are as follows:

– United States: Gold Standard Media, publisher of Clinical Pharmacology.
– United Kingdom: British National Formulary, Chemist and Druggist and Monthly Index of Medical
Specialties.
– Canada: Canadian Drug Product Database, Health Canada.

“A key element in supporting clean athletes with understanding and complying with the Prohibited List is to provide resources on the ingredients and brands of medications that they might encounter,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. “We are pleased to partner with UK Sport and CCES to expand this invaluable resource, which plays a critical role in facilitating anti-doping education worldwide.”

UK Sport’s Director of Drug-Free Sport, Andy Parkinson, said: “It is fantastic that Global DRO has been launched, and I am delighted that athletes across the UK can now access this resource. It is of paramount importance that they have such information at their disposal, and it is therefore pleasing that we have an enhanced replacement for our prior resource, the Drug Information Database (DID). It is has been very positive that we have been able to work together with our colleagues at USADA and the CCES to form this new partnership, and continue a unified approach to the global fight against doping.”

About USADA
USADA is the non-profit, independent and non-governmental entity responsible for the testing and results management process in the U.S. for athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, upholding the Olympic ideal of fair play, and representing the interests of athletes. USADA is dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. The agency manages a drug reference phone hotline as well as the Global Drug Reference Online, conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as curriculums, themed brochures and nutrition and dietary guides, easy-reference wallet
cards for the prohibited substance list, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference publications, all of which can be found at www.USADA.org.

About UK Sport (UKAD)
As the country’s national anti-doping organisation, UK Sport is responsible for the implementation and management of the UK’s anti-doping policy. As part of this, UK Sport co-ordinates the UK’s testing programme, which each year sees around 7,500 tests conducted across more than 40 sports. From 2010 onwards, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) will take on existing testing and education responsibilities from UK Sport, whilst also being granted significant new powers to ensure Britain is best-placed to tackle doping
in sport in the run-up to London 2012 and beyond.

About CCES
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.