New Drugs Will Heal Muscles, Abet Cheating

Scientists are currently testing two new classes of drugs designed to combat muscle-wasting diseases, but one organization isn't too excited: the World Anti-Doping Agency. Even though the treatments aren't yet commercially available, the Swiss-based organization that combats cheating in sports has banned them and is developing new detection methods, reports the MIT Technology Review.

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) and myostatin inhibitors, the two drug classes under review, interact only with muscles and therefore produce fewer side effects than testosterone. What's good for medical patients is bad for sports, says one researcher: "I think there's a whole new horizon for anabolic therapies, and the potential for abuse will be exceedingly high." (More sports doping stories.)