A story in the New York Times reported that the makers of some of the various drugs being abused by athletes may finally start cooperating to try and turn that around.
EPO was developed to help anemia patients, cancer patients, people with AIDS, etc. Athletes have long been abusing it.
Some of the drug makers are planning to help develop tests to detect illegal usage in athletes. GlaxoSmithKline and Roche are in the process of evaluating all their drugs to determine which ones hold potential for athletes and to give that information to WADA. There was a conference in Paris on the subject where 250 people were present. GlaxoSmithKline sponsored the drug testing at the London Olympics. It was the first time an anti-doping lab was a corporate sponsor. The company feels they got pride out of helping and it was a positive experience. 
The anti doping forces are happy for the help which they’ve been looking for a long time. Amgen developed EPO. They’ve invented a test for Aranesp, another drug being used for athletic competitions. Before now the cooperation between the the entities had been more casual.
“In 2006, Amgen was criticized for sponsoring the Tour of California at a time when EPO abuse was rampant among cyclists. Although the company said it had sponsored the race to raise awareness about doping, it was later revealed that the organizers had failed to test for EPO, short for erythropoietin, a synthetic hormone that, like Aranesp, stimulates the production of red blood cells.”
Some people thought the drug companies were developing these drugs to increase sales. In 2004 the antidoping people and the drug companies began to partner more when CERA, a new synthetic EPO was made by Roche. The drug makers were surprised to find that athletes were following them. They helped to develop a blood test for doping cheats. It was a complicated process and took a few years because the drugs mimic the body’s natural processes. The FDA requires companies to show how drugs go through the body so they already have a pretty good idea on how to come up with a doping test.
The Beijing Olympics saw 6 athletes positive for CERA. When other drug companies saw what Roche was doing they were less shy about getting involved. Roche has now screening all the new drugs they’re developing. Glaxo is doing the same.
