Why couldn standard steroid tests detect THG?
THG is close in function to known steroids, but it’s just a little different. All drug-testing labs test urine the same way, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. But these tests wouldn’t see THG because the molecule becomes unstable under the testing conditions normally used. We were blind to it. We missed it, maybe for years. Q: Once you figured out that THG was a steroid, how did you develop a test to detect it? A: We use liquid chromatography instead of gas. The liquid makes the testing instruments better able to work with molecules that are fragile, like THG is. Q: You also discovered that some athletes were using a steroid called norbolethone. What’s the story behind this drug? A: Wyeth (WYE ) was developing it for therapeutic purposes some 30 years ago. They took it out of production because it was too toxic. It caused a lot of bleeding disorders and too many androgenizing effects. Thirty years ago! Yet someone is selling it now to athletes who are using it today. Q: Does
