Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2727

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

McDonald M, Kogoy .
EPO company sponsors road race
Fox Sports 2005 Nov 4
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,17133634-23218,00.html

Keywords:
EPO Amgen

Notes:

Ralph Faggotter’s Comments:

If ever proof were needed that The Corporation will unselfconsciously exploit any situation available to it, without any sense of shame or impropriety, then this story provides it.

The idea that a company, which produces a drug (EPO) that has be the bane of professional sport, in particular endurance sports like cycling, should be be accepted as a sponsor for that sport when the drug has no legitimate role in that sport and instead has wrecked havoc in that sport, makes you wonder what was going through the minds of the organisers of the ‘Tour of California road race’when they accepted the offer.

Full text:

EPO company sponsors road race
By Margie McDonald and Peter Kogoy
November 4, 2005

THE move by one of the world’s leading manufacturers of EPO to sponsor a
big international cycling race in the US is “playing with fire”,
according to an Australian sports marketing firm.

Amgen Inc, a California-based biotechnology company, is sponsoring the
inaugural 1200km Tour of California road race in February, when 16
professional teams of eight riders will compete.

Amgen is the leading producer of anaemia drugs, synthetic versions of a
hormone called erythropoietin, (EPO). This drug helps people with kidney
disease or cancer but has been abused by athletes to increase the count
of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

EPO is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency and a blood test to detect
it was perfected for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. A urine test was
developed in 2003 and was used at the Olympic Games in Athens last year.

Blood doping with EPO hit the headlines at the 1998 Tour de France after
several team doctors and other personnel were caught with thousands of
doses of EPO.

About half of the teams withdrew from the race, either for being exposed
as cheats or in protest at the cheats.

Amgen chairman and chief executive Kevin Sharer said on the company
website that his company had been able to fight serious illness and
improve people’s lives with their products.

“We’re associating our name with this premier cycling event to
underscore the value of a healthy lifestyle, promote medical
breakthroughs made possible through biotechnology, and to emphasise the
proper use of our medicines.”

But Rod Reid of the Sydney-based international company SMAM (Sports
Marketing And Management) said he was confused by Amgen’s tactics.

“By sponsoring a cycle race you’ve got to wonder if the audience for
that sponsorship are the consumers, the cyclists or the people who
actually prescribe the drug for legitimate medical reasons,” Reid said.

“I don’t see there is a legitimate consumer message here. I think they
are really playing with fire.”

Neither the Australian Sports Commission, the Federal Government’s
funding arm for 60 sports in Australia, or ASDA, the Australian Sports
Drug Agency, which tests athletes for illegal EPO use, wanted to comment
officially yesterday.

Both said it was an internal matter for Tour of California organisers,
Amgen and USA Cycling, which has sanctioned the sponsorship.

Cycling Australia president Mike Victor said Amgen’s decision would
raise a few eyebrows in Australia.

“We’re talking about EPO,” Victor said.

“Last I heard it was still a banned substance.

“It certainly would take a major decision on the part of my Cycling
Australia board to allow a drug company to get involved in race
sponsorship.”

Olympic cyclist Matt White, who this week signed to ride with Discovery
Channel and is expected to be on the start line at the Tour of
California, said he believed the drug company’s move into race
sponsorship was a “brilliant marketing ploy”.

“We wouldn’t be discussing the merits of the Tour of California
otherwise,” White, a two-time rider of the Tour de France, said.

“I don’t condone the use of EPO, but it does have a legitimate use in
the treatment of a number of cancers.”

ASDA has conducted more than 3200 EPO-specific tests since the 2000
Olympics.

Any random blood test across all Olympic and non-Olympic sports are
routinely tested for EPO.

A brief statement by WADA said the organisation was confused by the
sponsorship deal.

“What kind of message does this send to athletes?” the Montreal-based
organisation said in the statement.

In Australia, sponsorship of sports events and organisations by tobacco
and alcohol companies is banned.

Reid said he had no full understanding of Amgen’s marketing strategy for
this sponsorship, but on the surface it seemed a damaging tactic for its
brand.

The Australian