Anti-Doping Agency Lifts Propecia Ban for Athletes
The World Anti-Doping Agency has agreed to lift the ban on Propecia for professional athletes as of 1st January 2009.
The hair loss product was banned from use by professional athletes in 2005 because of research that suggested finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, could mask steroids in the doping control process.
A few of the athletes that have been penalised for use of Propecia whilst taking part in professional sport are Ahmet Coskun, a basketball player who recently got thrown out of the paralympics, Mark Neilsen, the tennis player from New Zealand who received a 2 year ban, French runners Nordine Gezzar and Latifa Essarokh, Jose Theodore – a goalie from the NHL, Argentine tennis player Mariano Hood, Italian golfer Alessandro Pissilli, Sebastien Gattuso – the olympic bobsleigher, and probably the most famous of them all – footballing legend Romario, who was recently banned from Brazilian football for four months.
More information on the news can be found here – http://www..wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/QA_Finasteride.pdf.
Brazilian footballing legend Romario was banned from
the Brazilian football league for 4 months for testing
positive for Propecia. The Propecia ban is to be lifted
for professional athletes as of 1st January 2009.
