DFSNZ launches new online search tool to help athletes

Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) has today launched the New Zealand version of Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO), an online search tool which will allow athletes to easily check the status of medication and ingredients on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List at any time.

DFSNZ Chief Executive Nick Paterson says “Global DRO is an easy way for athletes to check their medication against WADA’s Prohibited List. We really want to help and support athletes to compete clean, and our collaboration with our international partners on Global DRO helps to bring athletes the most useful and advanced resources possible.”

Athletes, support personnel and medical practitioners can also find information about medication purchased in Australia, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Global DRO will replace DFSNZ’s text service for checking medication. Both platforms will run for the next few months, but the text service will be discontinued on 31 January 2020. The changes are being communicated to the sporting community through DFSNZ’s website, social media channels, educational workshops, e-Learning courses and to anyone who calls 0800 DRUG FREE for advice.

DFSNZ has become the third Global DRO licensee, with the Japanese Anti-Doping Agency and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency becoming licensees in 2013 and 2016 respectively. Global DRO is maintained through a global partnership of national anti-doping agencies that currently includes Antidoping Switzerland, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, U.K. Anti-Doping, and USADA.

Since its launch in 2009, Global DRO has become an increasingly robust resource for athletes, with the addition of partners and licensees bringing the total number of ingredients to more than 3,400 and the total number of medication brands to more than 68,000. Global DRO includes prescription and non-prescription brand names, as well as generic and over-the-counter medications, that are approved for sale by government regulatory bodies in each country in the Global DRO network. In 2018, Global DRO saw more than 1.6 million searches by athletes, athlete support personnel, and other users.

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