J.C. Romero of the Philadelphia Philles and Sergio Mitre of the New York Yankees have both been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for anabolic steroids under the Major League Baseball (MLB) drug policy. In a seemingly well-planned, but scientifically flawed, public relations campaign, Romero and Mitre allege the positive steroid test resulted from the respective ingestion of the dietary supplements 6-OXO by Ergopharm and Halodrol Liquigels by Gaspari Nutrition purchased from GNC. The listed ingredient of 4-etioallocholen-3,6, 17-trione in 6-OXO and Halodrol, while banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), is NOT explicitly prohibited by MLB. The players allege that 6-OXO and Halodrol were contaminated with androstenedione which was not disclosed on the label. Androstenedione has been prohibited by MLB since 2004.
Chemist Patrick Arnold says that his company Ergopharm tests their products for purity explaining that any potential contamination would be in the “parts per billion” range and would have no physiological effect.
We test our 6-OXO for purity and we do not see contamination. Now if someone wants to look at it in the “parts per billion” range then who knows. You can find anything at that level but bottom line is the physiological significance would be non-existent. they have done this before with products and its unfair.
I cannot see 6-OXO causing a positive unless 6-OXO itself is on their list.
Michael Weiner, the general counsel for the Major League Players Association (MLPA), blames contamination with trace amounts of androstenedione for the steroid violation (“MLB suspends Phillies LHP Romero, Yankees RHP Mitre 50 games,” January 6).
“We strongly disagree with the commissioner’s discipline and with the arbitrator’s decision,” Michael Weiner, the union’s general counsel, said in a statement. “Mitre and Romero both legally purchased nutritional supplements from national chain stores in the United States. Nothing on the labels of those supplements indicated that they contained a trace amount of a substance prohibited under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.” […]
Romero, who earned two wins in Philadelphia’s World Series victory over Tampa Bay last season, used 6-OXO, developed by Ergopharm, which is led by Arnold. The company’s Web site touts it as “the new gold standard for testosterone elevation.” […]
Mitre tested positive for Halodrol.
Both supplements contain Androstenetrione as a listed ingredient and apparently were contaminated with Androstenedione, the substance Mark McGwire used in the 1990s. While Androstenedione was banned by baseball in 2004, Androstenetrione is not specifically listed as a prohibited substance.
Michael Weiner is unfortunately mistaken; it is highly unlikely that “trace amounts” of androstenedione would result in a failed testosterone doping test. Certainly, J.C. Romero and Sergio Mitre did NOT test positive for androstenedione – I am unaware of ANY anti-doping test for androstenedione used by MLB. The only relevant test for the detection of androstenedione would be the testosterone:epitestosterone ratio (T/E ratio) test for suspected testosterone use. Trace amounts would not cause anyone to exceed the 6:1 T/E ratio (which I believe is the threshold used by the MLB) as even large amounts of androstenedione, while possible, do not uniformly and reliably increase T/E ratio (“Urinary Excretion of Steroid Metabolites after Chronic Androstenedione Ingestion,” March 9, 2004).
It will be difficult to detect and/or deter androstenedione in those sports in which androstenedione use is forbidden because the commonly used T/E ratio does not effectively detect androstenedione use 8“10 h after the last dose. Therefore, adoption of an effective technique for detecting androstenedione use, such as the carbon mass ratio or 6-hydroxyandrostenedione, is warranted.
In conclusion, when measured approximately 8“10 h after intake, 100 mg androstenedione t.i.d. increases the urinary excretion of steroid metabolites but does not uniformly increase the urinary T/E ratio above the Olympic threshold for disqualification. Therefore, a detection method other that the T/E ratio should be used.
The explanation for the failed steroid tests put forth by J.C. Romero and Sergio Mitre has been generally well-received by the public who seem eager to believe that this was a case of accidental/inadvertent doping. I think the claims that they did nothing “wrong” should be met with much skepticism especially due to the implausibility of the androstenedione defense.
In addition, 6-OXO is banned by WADA for athletes in all Olympic sports. And while not explicitly banned by MLB, 6-OXO is technically considered an aromatase inhibitor and prominently advertised as such; aromatase inhibitors ARE explicitly prohibited by MLB. According to the MLB drug policy, “certain hormones and agents with antiestrogenic activity shall be considered Performance Enhancing Substances covered by the program”; the “non-exhaustive list of substances” includes “aromatase inhibitors including Anastrozole, Lestrozole, Aminogluthemide, Exemestane, Formestane, and Testolactone” and “selective estrogen receptor modulators, including Raloxifene, Tamoxifen and Toremifene” and “other anti-estrogens, including Clomiphene, Cyclophenil, and Fulvestrant.”
Much has been made of the fact that Patrick Arnold, who was convicted on charges involving the undetectable steroid THG as part of the BALCO scandal, created the product 6-OXO for Ergopharm. I’m certain that the MLPA, Romero and Mitre want to foster the perception that Arnold, since he has developed undetectable steroids for baseball in the past, may be developing undisclosed steroid ingredients for baseball players to use in the present.
The Romero and Mitre script incorporated several elements from the NFL’s most recent doping scandal involving several football players who tested positive for bumetanide after using StarCaps. But MLB/androstenedione case is not comparable to the NFL/StarCaps incident. The manufacturers of StarCaps appear to have intentionally spiked their product with “therapeutic levels” of a prescription diuretic; furthermore the NFL allegedly withheld knowledge of the bumetanide contamination from its players.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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