FRANCE – The Tour de France ends July 21st and nephrologist Dr. Ron Goldman couldn’t be happier. He told reporters, “The Tour [de France] couldn’t have ended at a better time. I think we are completely out of Epogen.” Epogen, also known as Epo or Epoetin, is human eyrthropoietin, a natural hormone used to increase the production of red blood cells for people who suffer from anemia. Patients with chronic kidney disease, undergoing chemotherapy, diseases suppressing bone marrow production, and athletes who compete in high-oxygen demanding sports where natural red blood cell levels are too low, use this life saving drug to help create more red blood cells. “Tour riders unfortunately just don’t have enough oxygen caring capacity to win the race and must dope. My heart goes out to every rider out there, it’s just terrible they were born without the ability to have abnormally high levels of hemoglobin,” Dr. Goldman said. “But the shortage is real and with the Tour’s end in sight our supply will increase.”
