concerns over E-pee-O test

[Jim Flom]

Okay, you've seen the report on your favorite cycling news website.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/sep05/sep23news3

So. The FDA in an ideal world takes lots of time before it approves
medications for prescription or OTC use. So how in the freaking world do
the UCI and WADA come up with "definitive" tests for EPO that open the
governing bodies to lawsuits left and right? And gee, is this convenient
timing since LANCE is now under scrutiny (no, they cry -- it's the
triathletes we're talking about here)? Inquiring minds want to know.

J "And what about Naomi" F

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[Mark & Steven Bornfeld]

Jim Flom wrote:

> Okay, you've seen the report on your favorite cycling news website.
> http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/sep05/sep23news3
>
> So. The FDA in an ideal world takes lots of time before it approves
> medications for prescription or OTC use. So how in the freaking world do
> the UCI and WADA come up with "definitive" tests for EPO that open the
> governing bodies to lawsuits left and right? And gee, is this convenient
> timing since LANCE is now under scrutiny (no, they cry -- it's the
> triathletes we're talking about here)? Inquiring minds want to know.
>
> J "And what about Naomi" F
>

That raises a good question. I can't think of any clinical
significance for the medical use of an EPO test. (I suppose one could
rationalize it if there was an unexplained anemia. I haven't been
paying attention, really--do any of these tests give reliable
quantitiative data?) So I'm assuming that the FDA has no jurisdiction
regulating this test in the US.
Of course, approval of a pharmaceutical by the FDA is no guarantee that
the lawyers won't get involved (see Vioxx).

Steve

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Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
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