The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) confirmed Freedom Health’s findings that the use of injectable levamisole in racehorses may result in a positive drug test for the banned substance aminorex–a Class 1 drug that carries a recommended penalty of a one- to five-year suspension from racing. In a release issued April 2, the agency warned horse trainers that the use of levamisole could result in a positive test for aminorex. Levamisole is a deworming medication that is used in many different animal species, including sheep, pigs, and cattle.

The CPMA’s release stated that the agency had “administered levamisole products to horses under controlled conditions, and found aminorex in the urine samples taken from these horses.” Laboratory testing has shown that samples of urine from horses treated with the injectable form of the drug contained a compound that analysis proved to be aminorex.

“We are delighted that our pioneering work has been confirmed by the CPMA and that they are pursuing additional possible sources for a substance that is metabolized by horses into aminorex,” said Franklin Pellegrini, DVM, Vice President of Veterinary Affairs at Freedom Health. “We believe this will clarify the aminorex issue for everyone involved in racing and remove the cloud of uncertainty that has bedeviled the industry for the past three years.”

Earlier this year, Freedom Health employed Industrial Laboratories Company Inc., a federally accredited analytical toxicology laboratory, to randomly test samples of the company’s popular SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program to end speculation that use of SUCCEED was linked to these positive drug tests. The laboratory’s analysis conclusively proved that both the paste and granular forms of the product were negative for the presence of aminorex