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WADA and global biopharmaceutical trade body strengthen collaboration to go further in protecting clean sport 

IFPMA-meeting

This week, senior leadership from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) met with the CEOs of biopharmaceutical companies, and members of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Association (IFPMA) in Athens (Greece), the birthplace of the ancient and modern Olympics, to discuss how the pharma industry and the anti-doping community can work even closer together in the protection of clean sport.  

On the fringes of the Biopharmaceutical CEO Roundtable, WADA President Witold Bańka and IFPMA President and Chair of the IFPMA CEO Steering Committee, Dr. Albert Bourla, who is also the Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, signed a letter of intent, which builds on previous memoranda of understanding agreed by the two organizations in 2010 and 2020. Also present were WADA Vice-President, Yang Yang, WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, and WADA Senior Director, Science and Medicine, Professor Olivier Rabin. 

Mr. Bańka said: “We are very pleased to strengthen our collaboration with IFPMA in the protection of clean sport. Working closely with the biopharmaceutical industry remains of paramount importance for anti-doping. The early identification of new compounds with doping potential allows us to learn more about them and develop accurate detection methods even before these compounds are available on the market. Signing this letter of intent deepens our already strong partnership. The clean sport movement is all about cooperation between multiple stakeholders for the good of athletes. We have seen tangible and positive results from such collaborations but there is so much more we can do and on a larger scale. 

“As I recognized in my address this week, the biopharmaceutical industry has a unique opportunity to transform the world for the better through sport. The resources and expertise that are available in this field make a game-changing difference to the world of anti-doping and, by doing so, change our entire society for the better.”  

Dr. Bourla said: “The safe and appropriate use of pharmaceutical products is extremely important for our industry. With the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics just a few months away, I am delighted that IFPMA and WADA have been able to strengthen our longstanding partnership to combat doping in sport. The values of respect and fair play are at the heart of the Olympic spirit, and we want to do everything we can to protect elite and amateur athletes alike from anything that undermines this and the integrity of science and sport.” 

WADA and IFPMA reinforced their intent on collaborating even closer to deliver clean sport for athletes in a number of key areas, including:  

  • The early exchange of information on substances that have doping potential;  

  • The ongoing strengthening of the Therapeutic Use Exemption program to make sure it remains effective and robust;  

  • By identifying and reducing the distribution of falsified medicinal products; and  

  • By co-hosting the International Conference on the Pharmaceutical Industry and the Fight Against Doping, as was done in Paris (2012) and again in Tokyo (2015).