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The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspended UFC welterweight Tim Means for a period of six months as punishment for testing positive for Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). USADA handed down a significantly reduced suspension after it was determined that Means did not intentionally use Ostarine.
Means tested positive for Ostarine, in violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, following a random and unannounced out-of-competition drug test administered on January 21, 2016. At the time, Means protested his innocence and strongly denied knowingly using any type of steroid or steroid-like substance. He blamed the failed anti-doping result on a contaminated supplement that he was using.
Means provided a sealed bottle of the supplement to USADA for testing. Laboratory analysis by a WADA-accredited laboratory confirmed that Ostarine was an undisclosed ingredient hidden in the product. Given the supplement contamination, USADA agreed to reduce the suspension to only 6 months.
"Following notification of his positive test, Means provided USADA with a sealed container of one of the dietary supplement products he was using at the time of the relevant sample collection," USADA said in a statement. "Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, testing conducted on the product by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, indicated that it contained Ostarine. The presence of an undisclosed prohibited substance in a product is regarded as contamination. Accordingly, the product has since been added to the list of high risk supplements maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411."
The name of the specific supplement product was not disclosed in the USADA press release. Means initially hinted that the contaminated supplement may have been produced by Intek Nutrition.
"I’m on Intek, it’s a company I’ve been with for years now," Means said in February 2016. "They’ve always been supportive. It’s a supplement I trusted, that I’ve been drug tested on before. It just came right out of left field, man. I can’t even be mad. I just have to backtrack and try to think of what turn did I take to get to this point?”
However, the official “USADA Supplement 411: High Risk Dietary Supplement List” did not list any “high risk” supplements manufactured or distributed by Intek Nutrition. One day prior to the announcement of Means' six-month suspension, USADA added TriPharm K4 Kre-Alkalyn R as a dietary supplement contaminated with Ostarine.
“A seal container of Lot #C150633 tested positive for Ostarine. In testing of sealed bottles of Lot #C130703 and Lot #C151160, no Ostarine was detected” in TriPharm K4 according to the USADA website.
Ostarine (also known as MK-2866 and enobosarm) was originally developed as an investigational drug by Merck & Company and subsequently researched by GTx, Inc. The bodybuilding community has closely followed the development of SARMs because of its purported promises of all the benefits of an anabolic steroid with none of the side effects.
SARMs are technically not considered anabolic steroids. But since they exert their actions on the androgen receptor (AR) just like anabolic steroids, they essentially act the same for all intents and purposes.
Several sports nutrition companies have illegally sold SARMs like Ostarine as dietary supplements over the past few years. However, most have since discontinued such sales after being sued by their competitors for false advertising under the Lanham Act and unfair competition under the California Business and Professions Code. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also issued guidance declaring that Ostarine is an investigational new drug and not a legitimate dietary ingredient.
Source:
Radvillas, H. (June 10, 2016). UFC Athlete, Means, Accepts Sanction for Anti-Doping Policy Violation.
Means tested positive for Ostarine, in violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, following a random and unannounced out-of-competition drug test administered on January 21, 2016. At the time, Means protested his innocence and strongly denied knowingly using any type of steroid or steroid-like substance. He blamed the failed anti-doping result on a contaminated supplement that he was using.
Means provided a sealed bottle of the supplement to USADA for testing. Laboratory analysis by a WADA-accredited laboratory confirmed that Ostarine was an undisclosed ingredient hidden in the product. Given the supplement contamination, USADA agreed to reduce the suspension to only 6 months.
"Following notification of his positive test, Means provided USADA with a sealed container of one of the dietary supplement products he was using at the time of the relevant sample collection," USADA said in a statement. "Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, testing conducted on the product by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, indicated that it contained Ostarine. The presence of an undisclosed prohibited substance in a product is regarded as contamination. Accordingly, the product has since been added to the list of high risk supplements maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411."
The name of the specific supplement product was not disclosed in the USADA press release. Means initially hinted that the contaminated supplement may have been produced by Intek Nutrition.
"I’m on Intek, it’s a company I’ve been with for years now," Means said in February 2016. "They’ve always been supportive. It’s a supplement I trusted, that I’ve been drug tested on before. It just came right out of left field, man. I can’t even be mad. I just have to backtrack and try to think of what turn did I take to get to this point?”
However, the official “USADA Supplement 411: High Risk Dietary Supplement List” did not list any “high risk” supplements manufactured or distributed by Intek Nutrition. One day prior to the announcement of Means' six-month suspension, USADA added TriPharm K4 Kre-Alkalyn R as a dietary supplement contaminated with Ostarine.
“A seal container of Lot #C150633 tested positive for Ostarine. In testing of sealed bottles of Lot #C130703 and Lot #C151160, no Ostarine was detected” in TriPharm K4 according to the USADA website.
Ostarine (also known as MK-2866 and enobosarm) was originally developed as an investigational drug by Merck & Company and subsequently researched by GTx, Inc. The bodybuilding community has closely followed the development of SARMs because of its purported promises of all the benefits of an anabolic steroid with none of the side effects.
SARMs are technically not considered anabolic steroids. But since they exert their actions on the androgen receptor (AR) just like anabolic steroids, they essentially act the same for all intents and purposes.
Several sports nutrition companies have illegally sold SARMs like Ostarine as dietary supplements over the past few years. However, most have since discontinued such sales after being sued by their competitors for false advertising under the Lanham Act and unfair competition under the California Business and Professions Code. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also issued guidance declaring that Ostarine is an investigational new drug and not a legitimate dietary ingredient.
Source:
Radvillas, H. (June 10, 2016). UFC Athlete, Means, Accepts Sanction for Anti-Doping Policy Violation.