Now an app to help sportsmen from inadvertently falling foul of NADA.
When 30-year-old Indian footballer Subrata Paul tested positive for doping, it sent shock waves across the sporting fraternity. It was later revealed that Paul had consumed a cough and cold medicine, which led to his urine testing positive for substances prohibited by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
NADA and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) are now working together to ensure that such a faux-pas does not happen again.
Earlier in July, Paul was given a clean chit by NADA. “The agency revoked his suspension after realising that his urine tested positive due to a certain medicine that he was consuming for cough and cold. He had not intentionally used prohibited substances to enhance his performance,” NADA DG Naveen Agarwal said.
NADA has now provided the NPPA with a list of nearly 300 prohibited substances, including molecular formulations, compositions and salts. NPPA has a repository of close to one lakh brands and generic medicines in its mobile phone application, ‘Pharma Sahi Daam.’
“NPPA will weave in a thread of prohibited substances provided by the NADA in the app. This will help athletes check a medicine being prescribed to them by doctors. They can run it through the app, and if it is found to have NADA-listed prohibited substances, the app will throw up a warning,” NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh said.
“Very often, when athletes test positive for drugs, they blame it on therapeutic medicines. Drugs for cough and cold often have prohibited substances. Athletes can now use the app to look up the composition of a prescribed drug, and avoid it, if possible,” Sports Ministry Secretary Injeti Srinivas said.
Srinivas added that some athletes might need permanent medication for conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. In that case, it is necessary for a player to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
Last year, nine athletes had applied for TUE, of whom only three received NADA’s approval, Agarwal said.
Currently, there is no law criminalising consumption of prohibited substances by athletes. They can, however, be disqualified. “We are in the process of forming a legislation to criminalise doping offences. A drafting committee is being set up and this will be notified in a day or two. The draft should be finalised within three months,” Srinivas said.
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