"EPO is safe" ! ? ! ?

Slideshowbob

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dutch-doping-book-causes-stir

Any doctors in the house?

Chips Lovell

EPO is not dangerous, it's the abuse that is. It's also dangerous to drink ten liters of orange juice.

ednwireland

el tonto wrote: »

EPO is not dangerous, it's the abuse that is. It's also dangerous to drink ten liters of orange juice.

aaaw cr*p i've definitely drunk more than 10 ltres of orange juice :cool:

bcmf

AFAIK epo is a legal drug that is used widely (even lance admitted using it when he was in hospital in treatment for cancer).As Tonto says it's the abuse that does the damage.

blorg

I don't think the idea that careful use of EPO with competent medical supervision could be safe is all that controversial. It is after all used to treat anemia.

It is however cheating, which is the point.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

I don't think the idea that careful use of EPO with competent medical supervision could be safe is all that controversial.

Except that medical supervision involving the administration of performance enhancing drugs is by definition not competent.

ROK ON

blorg wrote: »

I don't think the idea that careful use of EPO with competent medical supervision could be safe is all that controversial. It is after all used to treat anemia.

It is however cheating, which is the point.

Would it still be cheating if one was anemic?

Lumen

ROK ON wrote: »

Would it still be cheating if one was anemic?

Yes. "Level playing field" does not mean "everyone at 50%". Oh, hang on...

tunney

Slideshowbob wrote: »

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dutch-doping-book-causes-stir

Any doctors in the house?

EPO is not dangerous, exogenous EPO or rEPO is a different matter.

tunney

Lumen wrote: »

Yes. "Level playing field" does not mean "everyone at 50%". Oh, hang on...

> 50% is no biggie.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Except that medical supervision involving the administration of performance enhancing drugs is by definition not competent.

The point is that performance enhancing drugs are banned because they enhance performance, not because they are a threat to health. Some may also be a threat to health but that is not the reason why they are banned. I think this is an important distinction, it is a matter of cheating not a matter of health or "drugs are bad m'kay." Plenty of banned substances you can buy OTC in any pharmacy and are no threat to health whatsoever.

There is no reason that EPO could not be administered safely under competent medical supervision, were it not banned for example. Choose another word if you like for a doctor who is happy to do something unethical but is technically competent with regard to the health of his patient.

hinault

I wonder what Gianni Bugno would say about this thread title?

abcdggs

Excerpt from some course notes i have.

Biopharmaceutical market
• Estimated 2002 Sales = $33.5 Billion (24% increase on 2001)
• Leading products
– Erythropoietins (EPO), $8.8b (mammalian), 25.3% of market
– Interferons, $5.7b (mainly microbial), 17.2% of market – Insulin, $4.4b (mainly microbial), 13.2% of market

The EPO in question in this case is used to treat anemia

RobFowl

Exogenous EPO is a legitimate drug used to treat anaemia mainly associated with renal failure and cancers. Endogenous EPO is a natural product produced in the body .

Taking EPO when you are not sick is abuse and is dangerous more so the more you take.

That doctor would in all probability be censured and maybe even struck off the medical register for espousing those opinions in this country.
The is a train of thought among European "sports doctors" especially who seem to think that "supplementing" a "naturally occurring" substance in the form of an drug is actually good for you and to some degree "essential to maintain health".

This is unfortunately simply bollocks.

Hence we have WADA and national laws to keep these chancer's away from sport.