The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will enable them to share information and collaborate on areas of common interest.
Both organisations have a significant scientific and medical focus, leading to considerate overlap in their fields of work. Under the agreement, IMI and WADA will work to identify knowledge gaps that are affecting both parties and then establish collaborations to address these needs.
Irene Norstedt, IMI acting executive director, said: “Many aspects of WADA’s comprehensive research programme are of direct relevance to the Innovative Medicines Initiative’s goal of advancing medicines development.
“This Memorandum of Understanding will make it easier for us to share ideas and expertise and learn from one another.”
The organisations have already identified a number of areas of interest for future collaborations including ageing, frailty, lung function, blood supply, cognition, the long-term effects of medicines and the biological signatures of drug use.
WADA director general David Howman commented: “It is important for WADA to continue to partner with leading pharmaceutical and healthcare research organisations such as IMI for the benefit of our two communities; encouraging collaboration was the very purpose of the Second International Pharmaceutical Conference in Tokyo earlier this year.
“This partnership will help IMI minimise the risk of abuse of innovative medicines, and it will help WADA develop new strategies to identify substances that could be subject to misuse and abuse by athletes.”