Maria Sharapova failed a drug test at the Australian Open.
She says she has been taking the drug meldonium for 10 years, but didn’t know it was banned in early 2016.
She didn’t explain why she has been taking the drug beyond saying health reasons. Here is a breakdown of the drug.
Meldonium (also known as Mildronate, THP, MET-88, Mildronāts or Quaterine is a clinically used anti-ischemic drug that is currently manufactured and marketed by Grindeks, a pharmaceutical company based in Latvia. It is used in Lithuania and the Russian Federation, but is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.
Meldonium is clinically used to treat angina and myocardial infarction. The first clinical trial testing the efficacy of using a combination of meldonium and lisinopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, to treat chronic heart failure was reported in 2005. The report demonstrated that the combined treatment of meldonium and lisinopril may improve the quality of life, exercise capacity and mechanisms of peripheral circulation of patients with chronic heart failure.
Unless Sharapova has chronic heart failure, which if she does makes this totally understandable, what other reasons could she have taken it for?
Here is why the drug has been banned for athletes via Jake Shelley.
One review of the effects of Meldonium on exercise performance listed the following benefits:
Decreased levels of lactate and urea in blood
Improved economy of glycogen: level of glycogen increased in the cells during the long-lasting exercise
Increased endurance properties and aerobic capabilities of athletes
Improved functional parameters of heart activity
Increased physical work capabilities
Increased rate of recovery after maximal and sub-maximal loads
Activates CNS functions and protects against stress
So essentially Sharapova has taken a performance enhancing drug for 10 years and still could only beat Serena two times.