DRUG cheats watch out. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken the rare step of after discovering abuse of a black market drug that causes multiple cancers in rodents.
The drug, called GW501516, was originally developed by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to stimulate muscles to , in order to raise levels of 鈥済ood鈥� cholesterol. But the company abandoned further development in 2006 after tests on rats showed that at all doses, the drug rapidly causes cancers in a multitude of organs, including the liver, bladder, stomach, skin, thyroid, tongue, testes, ovaries and womb. 鈥淕SK does not manufacture it or authorise its sale,鈥� says a company spokesman.
In 2009, , and the agency added the drug to its list of prohibited substances that year.
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The drug is openly promoted on websites for bodybuilders and athletes.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淒rug alert issued鈥�
