FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lee Park
December
11,
2012
lee.park@racing.ny.gov
NYS
RACING AND WAGERING BOARD UPDATES CLENBUTEROL AND DEPOMEDROL RULES,
CREATES INNOVATIVE DATA ENTRY SYSTEM FOR CORTICOSTEROID ADMINISTRATIONS
The
New York State Racing and Wagering Board today, in response to a
recommendation from the Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety and
industry consensus, issued timeframe changes to recently approved
emergency rules regarding administrations of Clenbuterol and DepoMedrol
to Thoroughbred racehorses.
The
Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety recommended that the Racing
and Wagering Board (RWB) amend its Thoroughbred rule regarding the
timeframe for Clenbuterol administration from the original 21 days to
14 days. The Task Force also recommended that the RWB amend its
Thoroughbred rule regarding intra-articular administration of
DepoMedrol from 15 days to 7 days. The rules apply to all Thoroughbred
horseracing in New York State, both at New York Racing Association,
Inc. (NYRA)-operated tracks and Finger Lakes Race Track.
With these timeframe reductions, New York’s equine drug rules remain among the strictest in the nation.
“New
York continues to lead the nation in innovative and impactful racing
regulation and implementation,” said RWB Chairman John D. Sabini. “In
recommending these changes, the Task Force on Racehorse Health and
Safety demonstrated an admirable and continued dedication to improving
equine safety and the functionality of the industry as a whole. We are
hopeful that with these changes, other jurisdictions will follow suit
and bring much-needed consistency to drug rules across the country.”
In
addition to being responsive to the Task Force on Racehorse Health and
Safety’s recommendations, these changes put New York’s Thoroughbred
rules in line with recommendations of the Racing Medication and Testing
Consortium (RMTC).
To
ensure compliance of the new rules, the effective date of these changes
will be December 26, 2012, coinciding with the post-holiday
continuation of NYRA’s inner-track meet at Aqueduct.
Pertinent
text from the Task Force’s letter recommending the changes, as well as
a timeline of effective dates and full text of the rule changes can be
found below.
Additionally,
the Racing and Wagering Board is putting the finishing touches on an
innovative data entry system for trainers and veterinarians to enter
corticosteroid administrations to ensure compliance with RWB
Thoroughbred rules. The Equine Steroid Administration Log (ESAL),
expected to go live on December 26, will allow trainers and
veterinarians to easily record the administration of corticosteroid
steroids to Thoroughbred racehorses.
The
database will automatically generate a list of horses that have been
administered substances, accessible by examining veterinarians, RWB
personnel, track veterinarians conducting pre-race inspections,
stewards and claimants. Each entry will list the name of the
corticosteroid administered, the location of the administration and the
date the horse would be cleared to race in accordance with RWB Rule
4043.2(i)
RWB personnel will work with trainers and veterinarians to ensure registration and participation with ESAL.
Text
from December 10, 2012 letter to the RWB from Dr. Scott Palmer, Chair
of the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety:
“On
November 13, 2012 the Board of Directors of the Racing Medication and
Testing Consortium voted to establish a 14 day withdrawal time and a
testing threshold of 140 pg/ml in urine for Clenbuterol. This
recommendation was based upon the RMTC Scientific Advisory Committee’s
review of recent research conducted at the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine
Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California Davis.
This withdrawal time and testing threshold were adopted by the ARCI at
its December meeting as a national rule recommendation.
In
preparing our Report, the Task Force was mindful that a recommendation
on Clenbuterol would be forthcoming from the RMTC, but we believed that
it was appropriate to recommend a “bridge” withdrawal time pending the
RMTC’s recommendation. We understand that the RMTC’s recommendation
was based upon assurances that the 14 day withdrawal time could be
enforced by the testing laboratories throughout North America, a
concern that was expressed when we issued our 21 day recommendation.
We are further assured that the RMTC’s recommendation will not
undermine the desire of the Task Force to end the inappropriate use of
Clenbuterol, while permitting its therapeutic use when indicated.
For
these reasons, the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety
requests that the Racing and Wagering Board adjust its proposed
emergency rule regarding Clenbuterol to a 14-day withdrawal time to
ensure that New York’s rule will not only end the misuse of Clenbuterol
at New York racetracks but be consistent with the forthcoming new
national rule of the ARCI.
With
specific reference to the initial Task Force recommendation for
methylprednisolone acetate, we recommended a 15-day withdrawal time in
order to discourage use of that particular corticosteroid since it has
been shown to have significant unintended negative effects upon
cartilage health. This letter is to advise you that the RMTC recently
completed that scientific research and convened a special panel of
industry experts on November 30, 2012 to draft recommendations to
regulate the use of intra-articular corticosteroids, including
triamcinolone acetonide, methylprednisolone acetate and betamethasone
based upon that research. That panel of industry experts, consisting
of racing chemists, regulatory veterinarians, practicing veterinarians
and veterinary surgeons, recommended a 7 day withdrawal time and
appropriate thresholds to regulate all three of these medications.
This recommendation was approved by the RMTC board and was forwarded to
the ARCI for consideration. In their recent meeting, the ARCI approved
these recommendations for regulation of the intra-articular use of
these corticosteroids.
Based
upon the deliberations of the corticosteroid expert panel, the RMTC and
the ARCI, and numerous conversations that members of the Task Force
have had with Dr. Larry Soma, director of the laboratory at the
University of Pennsylvania, the Task Force is convinced that
establishing a 7 day withdrawal time for use the intra-articular use of
these drugs will accomplish the goals of the Task Force to regulate the
use of these medications in a way that will protect the health and
welfare of the horse, as well as improve the integrity of racing. For
this reason, the Task Force recommends that the initial recommendation
to regulate methylprednisolone acetate at 15 days be amended to 7
days. This will accomplish the intent of the Task Force to push
intra-articular treatments back beyond the normal entry date and will
also position New York to take a lead regarding corticosteroid
restrictions in what will be a national effort by the RMTC and the ARCI
to create uniform national medication policy in North America.”
Timeline
of effective dates of emergency rules enacted by the RWB thus far in
response to the Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety’s
recommendations:
October 19, 2012 (in effect):
· Voiding
a claim for a horse that is vanned off the track, within one hour of
the race, at the discretion of the claimant. The existing rule where a
claim is voided if a claimed horse dies on the track remains in place.
(Rule 4038.5)
December 12, 2012:
· Providing
that the claimant of a horse shall be notified, within 48 hours after
the claim is finalized, of any intra-articular corticosteroid
administrations to the horse within 30 days of the race. (Rule 4038.5)
· Out of competition sampling of Thoroughbred racehorses for corticosteroids, methylprednisolone and Clenbuterol. (Rule 4012.5)
December 26, 2012:
· Providing
that the trainer shall maintain accurate records of all corticosteroid
joint injections to horses trained by them. The record of every
corticosteroid joint injection shall be submitted, in a form and manner
approved by the Board, by the Trainer or treating veterinarian to the
Board within 48 hours of treatment. (Rule 4043.4(b))–
· Rule prohibiting: (Rule 4043.2)
(a) the intra-articular administration of methylprednisolone (DepoMedrol) within seven days of the date of a race
(b) the administration of all other intra-articlular corticosteroids within seven days of the date of a race
(c) the administration of all systemic corticosteroids within five days of the date of a race
(d) administration of Clenbuterol to a horse within 14 days of the date of a race.
· Removing Clenbuterol from the 96-hour permissible drug schedule to be in compliance with the above. (Rule 4043.2)
· Removing steroids from permissible 48-hour drug schedule to be in compliance with the above. (Rule 4043.2)
Actual text of today’s rule changes:
· 4043.2(i): In addition, a horse may not race for the following periods of time:
(1) for at least five days following a systemic administration of a corticosteroid;
(2) for at least seven days following a joint injection of any corticosteroid; and
(3) for at least fifteen days following a joint injection of methylprednisolone (e.g., DepoMedrol); and
In
this regard, substances ingested by a horse shall be deemed
administered at the time of eating and drinking. It shall be part of
the trainer's responsibility to prevent such ingestion within such time
periods.
· 4043.4:
Trainer’s responsibility. * * * (b) Trainers shall maintain accurate
records of all corticosteroid joint injections to horses trained by
them. The record(s) of every corticosteroid joint injection shall be
submitted, in a form and manner approved by the Board, by the trainer
to the Board within 48 hours of the treatment. The trainer may
delegate this responsibility to the treating veterinarian, who shall
make these reports when so designated. The reports 
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