PHARMACY

Therapy: The use of therapeutic drugs in athletes

Drug treatment for athletes is not common. However, when using drugs to treat diseases or recover from injuries, pharmacists can mediate for the purpose of drug treatment and improvement of athletic ability. Drugs should not be used for the purpose of preventing pain and injury and sports pharmacists should have a high understanding of prohibited drugs and therapeutic use exemption (TUE).

TUE means the use of specific drugs or methods contained in prohibited drugs for therapeutic purposes in the event of serious damage to the athlete’s health condition. However, in this case, the drug should not have the effect of improving performance and there is no alternative medicine. In addition, TUE approval is required before drug use. In other words, the treatment of athletes should be considered in various aspects such as performance impact and regulatory restrictions. This is why sports pharmacists exist in the international competitions to prevent unintended doping due to unrecognized TUE.

As the popularity of sports increases, the profession of sports pharmacist will grow. It’s time to focus on how far their specialty will develop! B