[Pharma-clinics. Doping with erythropoietin or the misuse of therapeutic advances]

Sport performance depends on the capacity of oxygen transport to the exercising skeletal muscles. Performance may be increased thanks to an haematocrit augmentation, either by training in high altitude, using blood transfusions, or injecting erythropoietin (Epo). Since the synthesis of Epo by bioengineering, doping with recombinant human Epo has become popular in sports in general, and in cycling in particular. This new kind of doping might have been responsible for several sudden deaths in young athletes, essentially in racing cyclists. Until now, such a doping is hardly to be detected. However, it should deserve careful consideration from both public health authorities and sports communities in order to stop what could become a real plague.