Kentucky EDRC Recommends 21-Day Clenbuterol Withdrawal

The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council voted Dec. 1 for a proposal to the Kentucky Horse Commission that would call for horses prescribed clenbuterol for therapeutic purposes to be placed on the veterinarian's list for 21 days and require those horses to test negative for the bronchodialator in blood and urine samples to be removed from the list.

The New York State Gaming Commission passed a similar proposal a day earlier and several Mid-Atlantic states have also recently begun restricting the use of clenbuterol.

The EDRC is an advisory board that makes medication rule recommendations to the full Kentucky commission, which then votes on the passage of the proposal.

Clenbuterol, which is approved for the use in horses to treat lower airway disease, has been found to build muscle and reduce fat. Kentucky's current rules for the use of clenbuterol require that it be prescribed by a veterinarian and reported to the regulatory veterinarian's office within 24 hours of dispensing. The current withdrawal time is 14 days.

"The KHRC office has received concerns and comments from numerous trainers and owners who feel that clenbuterol is being misused," KHRC equine medical director Dr. Bruce Howard said. "They're concerned that clenbuterol is being used for the anabolic-like effect rather than the therapeutic effect prescribed. There have been instances where veterinary records show clenbuterol being dispensed to numerous horses in a barn, and in some cases the entire stable."

The EDRC's recommendation aligns with the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium's model rule on clenbuterol. It would apply to both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds racing in Kentucky.

Dr. Andy Roberts, who represents Standardbred interests on the committee, was the lone member who voted against recommending the proposal to the full commission. He felt the therapeutic use of clenbuterol was limited in harness racing with Standardbreds racing about once a week. A 21-day withdrawal period would keep Standardbreds treated for therapeutic reasons away from the races longer.

Howard countered: "If a horse is severely ill enough that you feel you need to prescribe this drug we're trying not to take this out of your hands for therapeutic purpose. I think this is a compromise to try and get away from the anabolic effect and still leave it in the hands of the private veterinarian."

"I don't want to diminish the concerns about clenbuterol because I think that it's not illegitimate to want to control its administration to legitimate therapeutic purposes," Roberts said. "However, I think the Standardbreds are taking it really quite strongly in the shorts on this one, because our horses race every week."