Substances & Medications
Understanding What’s Prohibited and Permitted
Protecting clean athletes’ rights by detecting and deterring the use of banned performance-enhancing substances and methods is at the core of what USADA does.
Athletes under USADA’s jurisdiction are prohibited from using the substances and methods found on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and are responsible for what is in and on their bodies at all times. Visit Global DRO to check the prohibited status of a medication or ingredient.
In addition to Global DRO, USADA maintains numerous resources to help athletes and their support personnel understand their responsibilities regarding prohibited substances and methods.
One of the fastest ways to search the status of a medication and/or ingredient is by using Global Drug Reference Online (GlobalDRO.com), which provides easily accessible and accurate information on the status of pharmaceutical products sold in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. If an athlete can’t find the brand name of their medication on Global DRO, they can also search the active ingredients listed on the medication label, which is often necessary in the case of cold, flu, and other such over-the-counter medications. Global DRO does not contain information on, or that applies to, any dietary supplements.
How to use GlobalDRO.com:
Step one Visit GlobalDRO.com and select your nationality. Step two Select your user type, sport, and nation of purchase. Step three Type in a drug’s brand name or active ingredient. Step four Read and accept the terms and conditions. Step five Select your exact drug or active ingredient from the search results. Step six View the status of the drug both in- and out-of-competition.
Drug Reference Phone Line
USADA’s Drug Reference Line provides a personal resource to understanding prohibited substances based on the WADA Prohibited List. An expert is available to answer questions about the status of a substance or method, as well as Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) and how that process can be started or carried out. The resource is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time. If you reach our voicemail during office hours, please leave a detailed message and we will call you back as soon as possible.
Therapeutic Use Exemptions
In some situations, an athlete may have an illness or condition that requires the use of medication listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List. USADA can grant a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) in these situations in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency International Standard for TUEs.
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