Simona Halep tests positive for doping; What is roxadustat and what’s it used for?

Two-time tennis grand slam champion Simona Halep has failed a doping test at the US Open last month, and has been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency.

On Friday, the former world number one tested positive for the anti-anaemia drug and banned substance Roxadustat. Currently world No. 9, the Romanian is the highest-profile tennis player to fail a drugs test since Maria Sharapova six years ago.

Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year, had an early end to her season last month following nasal surgery.

What is Roxadustat? What is it used for?

Roxadustat is an oral medicine used to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease. It is the first in a new class of medicines called HIF-PH inhibitors (prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor,) that promotes erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production, through improved iron absorption and mobilization, increased endogenous production of erythropoietin, and downregulation of hepcidin.

Halep shocked; fighting for her truth

Halep took to social media, writing that “today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth.

“I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life.

“Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with.”

Halep: “the truth will come out”

Halep continued to write that she feel completely confused and betrayed, as she faces such an unfair situation. She plans to keep fighting until the end to prove that she “never knowingly took any prohibited substance,” and has faith that, sooner or later, “the truth will come out.”

“It’s not about the titles or money. It’s about honor, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years.”