Did you know ASADA has updated its “Check your substances” page? ASADA has adopted Global Drug Reference Online (DRO), a new mobile enhancement for the previous “Check my substances” search tool.
Athletes and support personnel can use the Global DRO search tool to find out whether the most commonly prescribed over-the-counter and complementary medicines in Australia are permitted or prohibited in their sport. This database provides information about the prohibited status of specific medications and/or the active ingredient based on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
The advantage of the new system is that you can now also search the status of ingredients and brands of medications that you might find outside of Australia, including medications purchased in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. Some medications obtained overseas have the same brand name as those sold in Australia, but may contain different ingredients. Although the name and logo may be identical to that in Australia, overseas products may contain substances that are prohibited in sport. This is extremely important to consider with more Australian athletes travelling overseas to train and compete.
While the database can be used to search the status of ingredients and brands of medications it does not contain information on any dietary supplement, which also includes homeopathic products, traditional medicines, herbals, and probiotics. Global DRO should not be used to search for the individual ingredients in a dietary supplement, as the dietary supplement may contain prohibited substances even if your search results say the ingredients on the label are not prohibited.
The Global DRO directory is updated regularly to include new products entering the marketplace, or to adjust for changes in the Prohibited List status. All data is fully verified by pharmacists experienced in the field of anti-doping.
ASADA has published a blog regarding the transition of our online medications search tool from ‘Check your substances’ to ‘Global DRO’. Find out more: www.globaldro.com/AU/search
