IPC launches new “Medication Check” webpage for athletes and support personnel

To help prevent athletes inadvertently taking medication that contains a substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has launched an anti-doping “Medication Check” at paralympic.org.

Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO) is a third-party licensed platform that has been integrated into the IPC’s website to provide athletes and support personnel with information about the prohibited status of medications based on the current WADA Prohibited List.

Medications, whether purchased over the counter or prescribed by a doctor, can contain substances that are prohibited in sport. Visitors to the page who have purchased medication from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or United States can simply select the country of purchase and search by brand name and/or by each ingredient.

Medication purchased in all other countries must be searched by each individual active ingredient. This is because medications with the same brand name but manufactured in different countries can contain different ingredients. 

Jude Ellis, the IPC’s Head of Anti-Doping, said: “Each year there are unnecessary, costly and often career ending positive tests that could be easily avoided if the athletes or their support personnel carried out basic checks on medication before they used it.  Strict liability means that athletes will be held responsible for any prohibited substances found in their sample.

“Athletes and support personnel should seek advice from medical professionals before taking any medication. As an extra precaution the IPC’s Medication Check page provides free and easy access to the Global DRO database, helping athletes to understand the anti-doping status of their medications.”

The strict liability principle within anti-doping means the athlete is responsible for any prohibited substances found in their sample collected during doping control, regardless of whether they intended to dope or not.

If an athlete has an illness or medical condition that requires a particular medication (or procedure) that is prohibited in sport, they can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). A TUE gives the athlete an exemption to use the substance or method while competing in sport. 

As part of its anti-doping education efforts at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the IPC will be promoting the Medication Check at the WADA Athlete Engagement booth in the Paralympic Village and in doping control stations at competition venues.