Chinese doctors are asked to identify whether patients are athletes before prescribing dope-containing medicines for them when the Beijing Olympic Games is drawing near.

In hospitals providing health care service for the Olympic Games, doctors must check whether patients are Olympic athletes before they prescribe dope-containing medicines for them, said a circular to tighten the management on dope-containing medicines issued by the Ministry of Health Monday.

If they are athletes, doctors must write their identity on the prescription with clear marks of "dope-containing medicines," the circular said.

It suggested doctors not prescribing dope-containing medicines for athletes. But, if they have to, patients must be informed about the effect, it said.

Doctors should not prescribe such medicines without the agreement of the athletes, it said.

They should try to get signed agreements from the athletes for applying dope-containing medicines in emergency cases, it said.

Pharmacists are asked by the ministry to double check the prescriptions of dope-containing drugs with doctors and give detailed instruction to patients.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) announced the list of medicines containing dopes on March 20.

Also on April 14, the 355-member China Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA) issued a statement promising legal production of anabolic steroids and peptide hormones.

The pharmacy companies will make sure their products go to qualified distributors and will not sell anabolic steroids and peptide hormones except insulin to drugstores, said Zhang Jingyu, the CPIA deputy president. "We will try our best to keep them away from illegal distributors."

The two types of drugs are banned by the World Anti-doping Code.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2008)