Athletes might soon be banned from taking Viagra, the erectile-dysfunction drug that launched a billion spam emails.
“It’s amazing the interest that particular drug does attract,” says John Fahey, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, at a press conference last week (AP). “I can simply say this, there have been statements to suggest that it is performance-enhancing — that is being evaluated.”
Viagra (sildenafil citrate) works to increase blood flow by causing blood vessels to become wider. This could, in theory, boost sporting performance.
“It’s not being ignored, but there has been no decision on it and nor would I suggest that you should interpret what I’ve just said as a likelihood that there will be either a positive or a negative decision when the examination is ultimately concluded,” said Fahey, in a statement that was immediately interpreted as there being a likelihood that there will be either a positive or a negative decision when the examination is ultimately concluded.
The New York Times has been looking at one of those evaluations that Fahey mentioned, following Marywood University lacrosse player George Downey, who has been taking the blue pill.
“It may take awhile to live this one down,” says Downey, who has apparently been subjected to cruel jibes as a result of his pill-popping. “You’ve got to pay for college somehow.”
On a more serious note, the Times finds experts divided over whether the pill actually brings performance benefits. Kenneth Rundell, of the Human Performance Laboratory at Marywood, is convinced it does:
My guess is, it’s a pretty easy decision to make [to ban it]. It’s a compound that’s pretty easily measured. And it clearly provides an unfair advantage, at least at altitude. I couldn’t imagine it not going down on the list, but I’m not the one who makes those decisions.
In other news, getting hold of those potentially performance-boosting pills is not going to get easier for would-be European cheats: Pfizer has abandoned its attempts to get Viagra made available over the counter, rather than requiring a prescription (Forbes, Reuters).