4th generation EPO

northernneil
northernneil Posts: 1,549
edited July 2009 in Pro race
I heard the ITV podcast and they talked about this and CERA being 'so yesterday' - what is it ? whats the difference and obviously if it is only just out then they are catching riders REALLY quickly now ??

Comments

  • fast as fupp
    fast as fupp Posts: 2,277
    hey its either clarky-cat or cake these days :shock:
    'dont forget lads, one evertonian is worth twenty kopites'
  • sandbag
    sandbag Posts: 429
    With doping back in the headlines after the news of Davide Rebellin and Stefan Schumacher's positives at the 2008 Olympic Games, we take a look at the substance they tested positive for - CERA.

    CERA or Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator is a new form of EPO, created by the Swiss company Roche, that has been created to help dialysis patients or people with kidney problems.

    The drug stimulates the kidneys to produce EPO which in turn stimulates the bone marrow to increase the creation of red blood cells. More red blood cells allow the body to carry more oxygen and so increases an athlete's performance.

    CERA, or Mircera as it is known commercially, has been approved for medical use in Switzerland and Australia and is close to final approval across Europe.

    Roche applied to sell the drug in the USA last year but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to approve the drug for use in the USA because it infringed patents belonging to the original creator and producer of EPO, the US-based Amgen, that sponsors the Tour of California.

    CERA offers 'benefits' over older forms of EPO because it is has a slower release rate or creation of red blood cells in the body. For patients that means fewer injections, perhaps even just once a month, and lower health care costs for hospitals.

    For athletes it means they can take the blood booster less frequently and so reduce the risk of being caught because EPO is difficult to detect a few days after it has been injected.

    A test for EPO was first introduced for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. CERA is on the WADA list of banned products but it seems that riders caught during 2008 thought that the test was unable to find CERA.

    A test for CERA was first introduced in professional cycling on samples taken during the 2008 Tour de France.

    CERA POSITIVES IN CYCLING
    There have now been several high-profile positive tests for CERA in the pro peloton since the first riders - Riccardo Ricco, Leonardo Piepoli, Bernhard Kohl and Stefan Schumacher - were caught during the 2008 Tour de France.

    Retro-testing of 2008 Olympic games samples also turned out two positive results - Stefan Schumacher and Davide Rebellin.
  • sandbag
    sandbag Posts: 429
    Cheating is easy. The doping tests don't detect the many variants of EPO, HGH, steroids, testerone next generation drugs. It been said riders with a good doctor are 9 years ahead of the dope testers. I believe to compete at that top level now, they have to take drugs to stand any chance of winning.The mindset to win is overwhelming. The temptation too great. The top riders are just smarter. It become a culture.

    Look back over the years, they were known dopers doing already outstanding rides. Supposedly clean riders blew these dopers away many times. How is that possible?

    http://www.steroidreport.com/2008/07/23 ... -peptides/

    http://www.steroidreport.com/2008/07/21 ... po-agents/

    A BBC investigation suggests that most athletes who use recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) continue to get away with it. The investigative article reveals several reasons why the EPO test is failing. But the BBC revealed that the biggest problem is not the ineffectiveness of the existing EPO tests used by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is a lack of testing for variants of EPO.

    http://www.steroidreport.com/2008/05/16 ... om-a-baby/

    10 Next-Gen Olympic Doping Methods
    http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/news ... ntPage=all

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