UK Sport, in partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) have this week announced the launch of the Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO).

Developed initially by USADA as a resource for the U.S. only, the now multinational Global DRO is an online database that provides critical information to athletes and support personnel about the prohibited status of specific medications, based on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

For UK athletes, the new system is a long-term replacement for the previous reference tool, the Drug Information Database (DID). It will be updated regularly to include new products entering the marketplace or to adjust for changes in status, and all data will be fully verified by pharmacists experienced in the field of anti-doping.

Searchers can find the status of these various ingredients and brands, and more specifically whether they are classified as “Prohibited,” “Not Prohibited,” or “Requires Declaration.”

UK Sport’s Education and Information Manager, Joe Marshall, said: “Global DRO is very good news for athletes in the UK. Under the principle of strict liability athletes are ultimately responsible for any medicines they take and so to be able to access this resource should hopefully ease any fears they may have.

“As the national anti-doping agency for the UK, we need to fully educate athletes about the role they must play in competing clean. At the same time, we must also provide them with the resources to do this. This is why we have worked alongside our colleagues at USADA and CCES to develop Global DRO as a suitable tool to replace DID and help them ensure that any medicines they take do not include any prohibited substances.

Visitors can search Global DRO for specific information on products sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, accessed at www.globaldro.co.uk