Chevy Chase, November 18, 2005  -

The Endocrine Society and its patient education affiliate, The Hormone Foundation, applaud Major League Baseball for enforcing a tougher steroids-testing plan.  This new ban requires that players will be suspended 50 games for a first offense, 100 games for a second offense and banned for life for a third positive test. This critical policy supports extensive efforts by The Endocrine Society and The Hormone Foundation to address the potential dangers posed by the use and abuse of anabolic steroids and steroid precursors. The new policy marks the second time in the past 10 months that baseball has rewritten its drug-testing plan.

“The Endocrine Society commends the Players Association and Major League Baseball for working together to enact a meaningful policy that recognizes the dangers of steroid abuse,” says Endocrine Society President, Andrea Dunaif, M.D.  “Their joint agreement demonstrates the clear desire of these organizations to protect the nation’s athletes, adolescents and children from the risks posed by steroid abuse.”

In recent years, the Society has focused significant attention on this important issue and has worked closely with House and Senate leaders to raise awareness of the medical ramification of hormone abuse and misuse.  In addition, the Society has worked with Congress to pass legislation that added steroid precursors to the list of controlled substances, increased the penalties to distribution of controlled substances, and authorized funding for secondary education programs that teach children the dangers of abusing these compounds. The Foundation, dedicated to serving as a resource for the public by promoting the prevention, treatment and cure of hormone-related conditions, supported this effort by providing patient education materials on its web site www.hormone.org.

In January 2004, The Endocrine Society identified hormone abuse/misuse as a legislative priority and has taken several steps to help prevent abuse through legislative and regulatory advocacy. In early April 2004, the Society supported the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban of the sale of products containing steroid precursors, which act like steroids once they are metabolized by the body and therefore can pose similar kinds of health risks. Both The Endocrine Society and The Hormone Foundation worked with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to co-found The Coalition for Anabolic Steroid Precursor and Ephedra Regulation (CASPER).  This advocacy group, comprised of the nation’s leading medical, public health and sport organizations, is focused on supporting efforts to regulate products containing steroid precursors and products containing ephedra.

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones, and the clinical practice of endocrinology.  Today, The Endocrine Society’s membership consists of over 13,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries.  Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology.  The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland.  To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org

The Hormone Foundation, established in 1997 by The Endocrine Society as its public education affiliate, is an independent, non-profit organization, dedicated to serving as a resource for the public by promoting the prevention, treatment and cure of hormone-related conditions.  Since 2000, the Foundation has been working to develop a national program to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs by adolescent. For more information visit www.hormone.org                

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Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.