PDA

View Full Version : Update on the Polo horses that died.


Free Rider
04-23-2009, 10:12 AM
Not sure if this has been posted yet, but wanted to share with everyone as to what happened. Sorry if this was already posted.

Link
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090423/ap_on_re_us/us_dead_polo_horses

Art

WashingtonBay
04-23-2009, 10:16 AM
This is more of an update than was available last night.

It sounds accidental... but negligently so. I imagine they'll pay for it (the pharmacy). At least it sounds like something they mixed special for these horses, not a 'bad shipment' of a product that is still out there on the market.

Remali
04-23-2009, 10:16 AM
I saw that too! Holy crap! I read that Biodyl was illegal here....so what gives???!!!!! If that is true that it is illegal here.....they maybe should investigate the owner of the horses. :mad:

"Top Lechuza Caracas polo player Juan Martín Nero told an Argentine newspaper the horses that died Sunday and Monday were given a weekly vitamin compound called Biodyl. The mixture, a combination of vitamins and minerals, is not approved in the United States and is illegal to possess or use, according to the FDA."
Quoted from here....
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-horses-dead-polo-wellington-palm-beach-042309,0,7796201.story

WashingtonBay
04-23-2009, 10:20 AM
That it's 'not approved' for use here is not the same thing as 'illegal' - as in a specific ban of it.

It probably has just not gone through the testing process for FDA approval as a name brand. Seeing as how it's a combination of vitamins and minerals, not a 'drug'. I'm not sure what the big deal is. They say it's widely used elsewhere. Seeing as how it's a foreign team, they're probably used to using it. All the ingredients of it are certainly legal and available... just not the specific combination. That's what got them in trouble. They had the pharmacy mix it special for them, and the pharmacy did not do it right.

I wonder which substance caused that kind of immediate and sure reaction?

But I'm also not sure about injecting vitamins, and why that 'should' be done.

Don't know enough.

Remali
04-23-2009, 10:23 AM
WB....the article I read stated "illegal". Whatever. Argue all you like.

Taken from article......"The mixture, a combination of vitamins and minerals, is not approved in the United States and is illegal to possess or use, according to the FDA."

WashingtonBay
04-23-2009, 10:29 AM
Right. But there is an important difference between something that just hasn't been approved (yet)

And something the FDA has specifically banned for some 'reason' of health risk... or if it's found that the polo club has rules against using it due to unfair advantage. That would make a big difference.

I'm not going to depend on a reporter's choice of words on that distinction, it will be an important one in assessing motives on the part of this team and it's owners.

You seem intent to want to blame this owner, and I don't. And I won't unless someone finds some motive for him wanting all the horses on his own team dead, or some information that says use of this stuff would be considered 'cheating' in the sport. It may be! And that would tend to make them culpable. But otherwise and until then... I think the team, and everyone managing and involved with the horses are probably fairly devastated and deserve our sympathy, not our fingers.

Equine_Woman
04-23-2009, 10:58 AM
I can't imagine why the owner of those horses would want 21 of them to be dead. Other than betting (which isn't a huge thing in Polo generally) there is no motive for that. Obviously insurance won't likely pay on these animals. And I can't imagine the pharmacy covering for the owner for such a large mistake. That pharmacy will likely be done for.

So so sad.

Remali
04-23-2009, 11:03 AM
I am not intent on blaming the owner WB....but when it clearly states the substance is illegal according to the FDA (and I pretty much trust what the FDA has to say)....why would I think anything else of this owner?

JennyandJosey
04-23-2009, 11:06 AM
I read articles elswhere about Biodyl and it suggested it was not approved here but people could order it from France and still use it. It wasn't suggested in other articles it would be illegal for them to use it here.

I think the issue may be the pharmacy might have illegally prepared it here in the US by prescription from a vet. The pharmacy and I assume others could be in trouble if that's the case.

Remali
04-23-2009, 11:09 AM
Oh well, all I know is what I read, and what I was told (I have a friend in Florida who uses that same pharmacy).
At any rate, it sure is frightening that could even happen.

vicklynn
04-23-2009, 11:13 AM
So sad the horses died. I wonder if the company is paying the owner some money.

Here are some things I copied.

Food and Drug Administration joins investigation because substance is banned in the United States.

The statement didn't specify the ingredient. Biodyl is illegal in the United States (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/politics/government/national-government/united-states-ORGOV0000001.topic), according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is made up of vitamin B, selenium, potassium and magnesium.

Even mixing up an identical compound from Biodyl's individual parts could be illegal as well, said FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey.

"It is my impression that that would be manufacturing a new animal drug," she said.

Federal law allows some leeway in mixing replacement compounds even of banned substances, but is generally limited to "when the health of an animal is threatened or suffering or death may result from failure to treat."



leeway is for when the health of an animal is threatened.
I dont see where theses horses were in bad health to need it given.

WashingtonBay
04-23-2009, 11:37 AM
I am not intent on blaming the owner WB....but when it clearly states the substance is illegal according to the FDA (and I pretty much trust what the FDA has to say)....why would I think anything else of this owner?

Well, because they aren't a US based team that is usually concerned with our FDA. (The pharmacy is though). It's something that is reportedly widely used elsewhere, and it's ingredients don't seem all that scandalous to me. It's not like they're jacking them full of crack or something. Everything that is in it, could be given individually and be legal, I think.

natisha
04-23-2009, 11:48 AM
Potassium is fatal in high doses, effects the heart

SedonaThunder
04-23-2009, 11:55 AM
My big guess is that it was mixed with too much selenium. (http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/nutrition/rm-selenium.shtml)Acute or sudden onset selenium toxicity which can be seen as blind staggers which is characterized by apparent blindness, head pressing, sweating, abdominal pain, colic, diarrhoea, increased heart and respiration rates and lethargy (Rosenfeld and Beath 1964).

I'm not sure why this hasn't been approved by the FDA, as the ingredients on their own are all common... but MANY things not approved by the FDA aren't about the ingredients - it's about what they are saying they can do. Glucosamine isn't approved by the FDA for example - they haven't said "yes, it's approved for joint health". It gets real tricky when you're dealing with things that "natural"... like glucosamine being a naturally occuring substance.

In fact, if you google the ingredients (http://saadatinternational.com/images/productImages/word/Biodyl.doc) in Biodyl, it appears there are products in the US that contain these... however, they are not mixed exactly in those proportions, are not all injectable and are claiming different things.

Due to my involvement with the Dynamite (supplements) company I've become fairly familiar with the intricacies of FDA approval... it's not all it's cracked up to be sometimes.

WashingtonBay
04-23-2009, 12:02 PM
I'm wondering if it has as much to do with trademark and brand name as 'safety', and you're right... in 'claims'.

I guess any of them in overdose amounts could harm the horse, but to kill them so abruptly.... that was really something.

Tiz
04-23-2009, 02:06 PM
"But otherwise and until then... I think the team, and everyone managing and involved with the horses are probably fairly devastated and deserve our sympathy, not our fingers." WB

Amen to this, double amen. This horrific tragedy would be the same as attending the Kentucky Derby, and having all the horses fall onto the track, and die in the post parade. Unimaginable. Until the cause is determined without question, pointing fingers and conspiracy theorizing, and seeming to suggest the people involved with these horses are so evil that they would be capable of killing all of them(But why at a match, why not the farm?) is evil in itself.

Remali
04-23-2009, 02:20 PM
Geez....I'm not pointing fingers, merely stating what the FDA has said.....but it doesn't matter....go ahead and say it is just fine feeding horses a banned/illegal substance.....no problem. A few of you would argue with yourselves in the mirror just for the sake of an argument....doesn't surprise me one bit.

WashingtonBay
04-23-2009, 02:34 PM
A few of you would argue with yourselves in the mirror just for the sake of an argument....doesn't surprise me one bit.

...Not that there's anything wrong with that, right? :cheers:

rockyridge
04-23-2009, 02:46 PM
our fda is not a great agency nor a full proof one...after all of the rest of the world banned the use of aspartame...our fda approved it for our children...and it is in everything....our rate of add in children is higher than any where now...
just my own personal soap box.

SedonaThunder
04-23-2009, 02:53 PM
our fda is not a great agency nor a full proof one...after all of the rest of the world banned the use of aspartame...our fda approved it for our children...and it is in everything....our rate of add in children is higher than any where now...
just my own personal soap box.
So true! This is a soap box I climb onto often too.;)

Suzi
04-23-2009, 04:33 PM
Overall, its a horrible mistake. I am sure all involved are deseperately wishing they could take back the last few days. Supplements have become so prevelant. They are easy to get and promise miracles. While many are benefical, we need to become more educated about what our animals are ingesting.
Wasn;t there some scuttlebut a few years ago abt the FDA wanted to classify supplements as drugs so they could regulate them better?

SedonaThunder
04-23-2009, 04:49 PM
Wasn;t there some scuttlebut a few years ago abt the FDA wanted to classify supplements as drugs so they could regulate them better?
Yep - and MANY people (like me!) were UP IN ARMS! There was talk that we wouldn't be able to go buy vitamin C without a prescription - you've got to be kidding me! I agree that people need to be CAREFUL and READ and KNOW what they are giving their animals (and themselves) but making it unavailable is not the answer.

In this case, it is looking like a mix up in the "recipe"... extra 0's on the end of the wrong number by the pharmacist and disaster can strike with any compound.

Suzi
04-23-2009, 05:04 PM
I agree. I wouldn'tt want the FDA to get their noses into that either. But this is a reminder that we are the last say on what our horses get as supplements and not to assume safety.

Horseaholic
04-23-2009, 08:07 PM
http://www.ocala.com/article/20090423/ARTICLES/904239965/-1/stormpost02&tc=email_newsletter

looks like the pharmacy isnt TOO worried about mixing the drug when it came to punishment. I'm not savy on this FDA stuff but I would assume you wouldn't be willing to report it if you were going to get in a lot of trouble

"In the statement, Beckett said the lab "immediately alerted the state Department of Health and Board of Pharmacy," after it learned of the error."

Horseaholic
04-23-2009, 08:10 PM
Sorry idk how to quote from an article

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines pharmacy compounding as the combining or altering of medication ingredients by a pharmacist to produce a drug that's tailor-made to meet an individual patient's medical needs, according to the agency's Web site. The drug is made only with a licensed practitioner's prescription,

The FDA Web site says it has "historically exercised discretion and generally has not taken enforcement action against pharmacies engaged in traditional compounding."

FDA spokeswoman Sandy Walsh said "compounded drugs are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness."

W.Thomas Smith, a UF College of Pharmacy professor who specializes in pharmacy regulation and policy, said as long as compounding pharmacies follow basic FDA guidelines, they are left alone and not federally regulated in the same way pharmaceutical manufacturers are.

Stalknndashadows
04-23-2009, 08:55 PM
Geez....I'm not pointing fingers, merely stating what the FDA has said.....but it doesn't matter....go ahead and say it is just fine feeding horses a banned/illegal substance.....no problem. A few of you would argue with yourselves in the mirror just for the sake of an argument....doesn't surprise me one bit.

Whoa there...

The FDA is not the end all and be all. You are talking about a team from another country that uses the mix and that is a compound approved by many countries all over the world. If it was something that was approved in my country and I gave it to my horses with success and wanted to continue to use it, I'll be damn if I'm not going to because another country's drug system has not approved it.

Hypothetically speaking... what if you went to another country with your horses for some reasons and they had banned the use of wormers .. are you honestly going to tell me you will stop worming your horse; a practice most of us consistently do here in the US just because they banned them?

Maybe you would, but I sure would continue using it.

offgridgirl
04-23-2009, 11:02 PM
Really sad that it was something given on purpose to these beautiful horses!! RIP all of them....I hope something will be learned from this accident and not repeated

Tiz
04-24-2009, 05:13 AM
Remali
Found this online.....vets think some kind of toxin caused it...
I have a bad feeling this was intentional.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090420/...ad_polo_horses (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090420/ap_on_re_us/dead_polo_horses)

This really bothers me.....
"Lechuza's horses began breathing heavily and stumbling at the Lechuza equestrian facility even before they were brought to the polo club, said Swerdlin, citing information he was told."
WHY would they then continue to take the horses to the polo club in that condition??!! I found that from this article (link below)......leads me to think the owner of the horses did not care for one second about his horses....

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localne...olohorses.html (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/04/20/0420polohorses.html)

Remali

Geez....I'm not pointing fingers, merely stating what the FDA has said.....but it doesn't matter....go ahead and say it is just fine feeding horses a banned/illegal substance.....no problem. A few of you would argue with yourselves in the mirror just for the sake of an argument....doesn't surprise me one bit.

vicklynn
04-24-2009, 05:31 AM
Tiz, check the dates of your links, then check the date on Remalis, its more current.

Im not taking sides, I just know what Im reading in black and white.

SedonaThunder
04-24-2009, 09:53 AM
But this is a reminder that we are the last say on what our horses get as supplements and not to assume safety.
Sooo true - couldn't agree more. It goes both ways... I use a lot of "alternative" things and you bet I do a lot of homework first AND then I take full responsibility for my decisions. On the flip side, many people say "the vet said" and don't do any homework... and when things go wrong it is deemed the vets fault. The vet isn't the end all be all... nor is the FDA - people still need to do their homework and take responsibility. (I was very impressed that WB just read through lots of "stuff" and didn't go with the original recommendation of her vet but chose to use "pieces of it"!;))

As for these horses... it sounds like it was a horrible mistake - but because they went in with a specific prescription and it was mixed WRONG, in this case I feel like it was the pharmacies responsibility. I understand that "compounding" isn't regulated (I had to have a compound made for my rabbit when he was ill - thank goodness someone does it) but I think in general that's because the pharmacy isn't writing the "recipe" - that part comes in the prescription and they just mix it. It seems to me that not following the "recipe" should be some how punishable as that is downright scary - what if it was for your kid!?

WashingtonBay
04-24-2009, 09:59 AM
:)


You're right. The knowledgeable owner can know exactly what they want and why (better than me!), but are completely helpless to tell if that compound is actually mixed right. And yes, I'm sure the pharmacy'll pay in a lot of ways, not the most or least of which is the value of the horses lost.

Remali
04-24-2009, 03:57 PM
The question still remains..... WHY would the owner give a banned/illegal substance to his horses.

WashingtonBay
04-24-2009, 04:08 PM
One I'm sure he'll answer before this is all over.

I don't know why, though I imagine it's because it's perfectly legal in his country and he thought it would help his horses.

I'll re-iterate too, while we're waiting... every single ingredient is perfectly legal. It's vitamins and minerals we can all get, without even a prescription. So lets not put it on par with him 'drugging' his horses with illegal drugs. He was not jacking them full of steroids, or pain killers... he was jacking them full of vitamins. The only thing that appears to be scandalous is that the exact combination he intended is not currently allowed to be sold here under the brand name Biodyl, and intentionally re-creating it may have been illegal.

Remali
04-24-2009, 04:12 PM
It boggles my mind why a horse owner who shows his horses all over the world would not be current on each countries list of prohibited meds/supplements.

Pi and Tofu
04-24-2009, 04:19 PM
I talked with my vet today; he has a connection with this particular team.
The people are devastated, polo has been given a black eye, a pharmacy that was widely used is now most likely out of business. The pharmacy acknowledged that they prepared this incorrectly, most likely culprit is the selenium.
I think the time has come to stop blaming the team and the sport, and acknowledge that this was truly just a horrible mistake.

Remali
04-24-2009, 04:24 PM
Let me make one thing clear....I am NOT blaming the team. I never said that ever....go back and read my posts. But what makes me wonder is why they would feed a banned supplement.....(the owner). And now I think we have beaten this to death....some people just seem to want to take what I say out of context.....not sure why.....

Stalknndashadows
04-24-2009, 04:33 PM
And I'd like to know why you can't seem to wrap your mind around such a simple concept as it is not illegal where they are from... All ingredients are legal separately and in other mixtures.

As for being current in what is legal/illegal in all countries one competes in, I'd like for most of the top world players to list me what is illegal and/or banned in their own country let alone others. While you are at it and since you are in the US can you list them for me?

WashingtonBay
04-24-2009, 04:36 PM
The owner is part of the team is my view. Yes, he is the one most responsible. That also means I feel particularly bad for him that this happened. Whether he is found to have acted legally wrongly or not, I'm sure harm to the horses was not his intent and I still feel a heck of a lot of pity for him.

SedonaThunder
04-24-2009, 04:56 PM
It boggles my mind why a horse owner who shows his horses all over the world would not be current on each countries list of prohibited meds/supplements.
Like WB said - none of the ingredients in Biodyl are prohibited, it's just that the FDA hasn't approved them in that mixture, by that maker (Merial), to do what they claim to do. There are plenty of good things the FDA hasn't approved just because they have yet to scientifically PROVE it does what it says it does. Because Biodyl has been approved in other countries and many people use it, obviously many feel that they have proof in their experiences. As for the teams owner deciding to use it, I don't think he probably thought of like some illegal drug - just one that hasn't jumped through the hoops to get approved yet.

The ironic thing is that if it had been approved here his horses would all still be alive.

Remali
04-24-2009, 06:23 PM
It does not matter one bit that it is not illegal where they come from... they are HERE and the horses are HERE and it is banned/illegal here.....can you "wrap your mind around that"? So, are you saying that if you go to another country where a substance is banned you think you can use it there just because it is OK back home? You are sadly mistaken.

When I was showing horses I sure as heck made myself aware of what was allowed and what was not allowed.

Stalknndashadows
04-24-2009, 08:00 PM
It does not matter one bit that it is not illegal where they come from... they are HERE and the horses are HERE and it is banned/illegal here.....can you "wrap your mind around that"? So, are you saying that if you go to another country where a substance is banned you think you can use it there just because it is OK back home? You are sadly mistaken.

When I was showing horses I sure as heck made myself aware of what was allowed and what was not allowed.

I'm far from sadly mistaken dear. Yes, it would still be illegal to continue to use and yes it would be a chance one would have to weigh the consequences of.

If it was a substance such as this vitamin mix I had been using on my horse with great results and I went to another country to compete in a sport that doesn't test for it and the sport doesn't directly ban it... call me immoral or whatever but you are damned right I would continue to use what worked best for my horse.

cheval
04-24-2009, 08:09 PM
It does not matter one bit that it is not illegal where they come from... they are HERE and the horses are HERE and it is banned/illegal here.....can you "wrap your mind around that"? So, are you saying that if you go to another country where a substance is banned you think you can use it there just because it is OK back home? You are sadly mistaken.

When I was showing horses I sure as heck made myself aware of what was allowed and what was not allowed.

Remali is spot on. Doesn't matter if it's legal where they are from. It's not here. Pot is legal in Amsterdam, doesn't mean they can come over her and toke out freely at the local Starbuck's.

42many
04-24-2009, 08:33 PM
Maybe I misread somewhere - but my understanding was that it was illegal to BRING that specific mix INTO the US but that it was NOT illegal to MAKE that specific mix IN the US. So, from what I read (and it's just hearsay!!) he actually used the perfectly legal alternative available to him rather than doing what would have been illegal (but would have saved his horses, in retrospect) by bringing the mixture with him.

Really, I personally have to lay pretty much the entire blame on the pharmacy (unless, of course, the prescription itself was written incorrectly). Once you've taken responsibility for what you are going to give some one or some animal - you just have to assume that what you are given is the right thing.

When the Dr gives me a flu shot, I assume it is a flu shot - fairly harmless in my view and with some potential but known and generally accepted side effects. If I died because it was NOT a real flu shot - should you berate me for even choosing to get one? Many people don't get one - they feel it can cause problems and they'd rather just take their chances. But many people think it is absolutely fine, even necessary. Whether I should have or should not have gotten a flu shot isn't the POINT, though, the POINT is - what I was given wasn't the right thing and it killed me.

Granted, a flu shot isn't illegal - but it easily could be MADE illegal (or made MANDATORY, for that matter) on the whim of some government official. The FDA is often found to be a very poor judge in terms of accurate choices on what to allow and what not to allow. Regardless, though, the info I saw indicated that having a compound of specific non-illegal non-drug substances made is NOT illegal.

cheval
04-24-2009, 08:38 PM
I think if you are travelling with horses that have special needs someone needs to be checking well ahead of time what is legal and not in the various countries. I can't believe that there isn't someone in charge of that.

Do it ahead of time and you have time to figure out what you need to do.

People who say they'd bring the stuff in regardless of laws are pretty irresponsible. If you're horse absolutely has to have a substance that isn't legal in another country, you need to be finding a different horse to ride. Laws may be stupid but they are laws just the same.

WashingtonBay
04-24-2009, 08:41 PM
They had it made special here for a reason, I'd guess. If they were trying to sneak I'm sure they could have snuck some in already made. Perhaps, just perhaps, they thought they were following the rules this way.

If not... I'm sure someone will be charging someone with something. And that has not happened yet, that I know of.

I don't think any of us had probably ever heard of that stuff before this week, nor are we very familiar with the rules of Polo or compounding of vitamins. It's all maybes and mights and I don't think any one of us is really giving an informed, legal opinion.

cheval
04-24-2009, 09:30 PM
But all of them are familiar with the rules or should be so it seems to me, it could have been avoided.

If they got permission to bring it in and mix it up, they should have had their vet do that and not one here that may not have known how it all worked.

Either way, it's heartbreaking for the people that cared for those horses.

WashingtonBay
04-24-2009, 09:41 PM
Their vet, and an American one, wrote the prescription, one of the articles said, for the pharmacy. The pharmacy just made a mistake.

cheval
04-24-2009, 09:43 PM
Do you think there will be lawsuits?

WashingtonBay
04-24-2009, 09:56 PM
I am not sure they even need to sue. The pharmacy has as much as admitted responsibility. They may settle, if the dollar amount can be agreed to.

Unless they too argue that the compound was not legal, and therefore the owner has no right to damages. There is some precedent for that. You can't win a lawsuit for an illegal contract. I can't sue you in court for selling me bad heroin, for example.

I dunno.

Pi and Tofu
04-25-2009, 02:47 AM
How I understand it right now, the owners have been cleared, AND the vet has been cleared.

Since the drug isn't for use in the US, they had the components compounded, which means that the team did/does know and followed the rules. This is not like a steroid or EPO, all the components are legal vitamins and supplements when broken down. Compounding may now be disallowed in the sport in the future, but wasn't last week.

So, isn't the question of whether compounding is legal or not a mute point?

The pharmacy hasn't just all but admitted, they have admitted that they followed a presciption incorrectly.

Remali
04-25-2009, 07:04 AM
I do agree with Cheval, they had to have known for quite some time they'd be coming here to the U.S.....so too bad they did not have their own vet mix up the concoction for them to bring here. Altho it is still up in the air whether or not that is even allowed/legal here....from all I have heard about it, the stuff is not allowed here period.

WashingtonBay
04-25-2009, 07:07 AM
Vets don't mix these compounds. They usually buy it.

What about what they did does not require a lot of planning? This had to have been planned. You don't just walk into a compounding pharmacy and say "can you mix this stuff together for me by this afternoon?"

Since they couldn't buy it in the form they were used to, they did it in the way that should have been the safest. By a pharmacy that specializes in doing just that - making compounds. And you think they should have just mixed it in the barn?

We simply don't know enough about it to say that.

Remali
04-25-2009, 07:09 AM
No, not in the barn. :eek: By their own vet or pharmacy......LOL.

WashingtonBay
04-25-2009, 07:13 AM
They hired a pharmacy. The pharmacy made a mistake.

Remali
04-25-2009, 07:18 AM
Yes, yes I do know the pharmacy made a mistake. Just really a sad situation any way you look at it.

WashingtonBay
04-25-2009, 07:31 AM
Yes.

cheval
04-25-2009, 05:35 PM
Vets don't mix these compounds. They usually buy it.

What about what they did does not require a lot of planning? This had to have been planned. You don't just walk into a compounding pharmacy and say "can you mix this stuff together for me by this afternoon?"

Since they couldn't buy it in the form they were used to, they did it in the way that should have been the safest. By a pharmacy that specializes in doing just that - making compounds. And you think they should have just mixed it in the barn?

We simply don't know enough about it to say that.

But that doesn't negate them from knowing what is and what is not legal here in the states. Planning means they know weeks in advance the rules/regulations of the countries they are going too. Someone checks to make sure what they are using is allowed.

If it is but isn't made here, they plan ahead on how they need to get it there. Either buy it in their own country and mix it or mix it in their own country and bring or buy in the country they are visiting and mix it there.

That's the kind of planning you'd think would have been done. I don't know how it all went down but I'm speaking in general terms.

Apaches Mom
04-25-2009, 06:30 PM
To me, they didn't do anything illegal. The biodryl (sp?) that isn't approved for USA wasn't brought into USA. If they wanted to cheat, lord knows you can smuggle illegal drugs into this country. But they didn't. They knew what was legal and what wasn't. They did things within their legal limits. They took legal vitamins and minerals and had it compounded. Nothing wrong with that. And if this drug is commonly used in other countries then who wants to take bets that the OTHER teams are having it mixed here too. Unfortunately, this time, with this team, it was mixed wrong. A very sad, sad, accident. But I feel like the owner/team hasn't done anything wrong other than trust a pharmacy to mix the compound up correctly.

And as far as FDA approval, just because it isn't approved, doesn't mean its bad drug. From what I understand, it could just mean that the FSA hasn't agreed that the drug does what it claims it does. The drug could "claim" to help with exhaustioin but maybe they haven't proven to the FDA that it really does that. So the FDA hasn't approved it yet. Plus, look at all the drugs the FDA HAS approved that later had to be recalled.

<3_RedDuns!
04-25-2009, 06:37 PM
so saddddd :(


saw that on the news this week. terrible!

Remali
04-25-2009, 08:07 PM
If a banned substance isn't illegal, what is it then? Everything I have read thus far has said it is not legal here in the U.S. ....... But, as with the media....who knows who is correct. So there is banned, illegal, and not approved..... Can someone explain to me the differences and how the shows handle them? Just wondering.... it is getting confusing now... lol.

cheval
04-26-2009, 09:36 AM
Exactly, what does banned mean then?

It's it somewhere between illegal and legal?

mare
04-26-2009, 10:40 AM
Here is a link to the Palm Beach Sun-Times explaining some of the questions of banned, what substance may have caused the deaths, etc. It's a two-pager, so I didn't copy and paste.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-horses-dead-polo-wellington-palm-beach-042309,0,7796201.story