World Anti-Doping Agency signs collaboration agreement with Pfizer

Under the deal, Pfizer will review medicines that are currently under development to find substances with a probable or high risk of abuse in sport.

The company will identify for any similarity to the pharmacological characteristics of the current performance-enhancing substances and evaluate how they work in the human body.

Pfizer will highlight any new medicines identified to have performance-enhancing characteristics to WADA.

Confidential scientific information associated to the medicines may be transferred on a case-by-case basis by Pfizer.

WADA will exchange information with Pfizer on substances that are being abused by athletes.

WADA director general David Howman said: "A central aspect of WADA’s strategy is to collaborate with pharmaceutical companies so that medicinal substances of interest to dopers can be identified. In turn, this will allow us to develop detection methods at a much faster rate."

Pfizer senior vice president of worldwide safety and regulatory affairs Peter Honig said: "Pfizer takes seriously the integrity of science and the use of our innovative medicines only for legitimate health purposes.

"We are pleased to expand our global efforts to mitigate the abuse of pharmaceutical compounds by officially partnering with WADA to deter athletic doping."

WADA also has global agreements with GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, Amgen, Novartis and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.