December 15, 2009 (Toronto, ON) – A well-known sports doctor from Toronto is under investigation by both Canadian and US authorities reports the New York Times and the Toronto Star. Dr. Anthony Galea, a sports medicine specialist, was arrested Oct. 15 following the discovery of human growth hormone (HGH) and Actovegin in his possession at the US border in late September. Authorities also seized a laptop computer and a sonogram machine found in the doctor’s car. Dr Galea, who claims that the HGH was for his own personal use, is expected to appear in a Toronto court this Friday following an RCMP investigation of his activities. Galea will be defended by lawyer, Brian H. Greenspan.

Dr Galea operates out of the I.S.M Health & Wellness Centre (affiliated with the I.S.M. Cycling Centre) in Toronto. His patients include or have included some top names in many fields of sports, including Canadian Olympic medalist sprinter Donovan Bailey, US golfer Tiger Woods, players on the Toronto Argonauts football team, and US Olympic medalist swimmer Dara Torres. No professional cyclists have yet been named among Galea’s patients, but interestingly, the doctor describes himself as “an avid cyclist” on the ISM website.

His profile on that website reads: “Dr. Anthony Galea is an avid cyclist and renowned sports medicine doctor. Dr. Galea is founder and medical director of I.S.M Health & Wellness Centre, an international recognized sports medicine clinic in Toronto, Canada. He is an academic staff of the University of Toronto and has lectured internationally on numerous topics. Dr. Galea has been a sports medicine doctor at the Olympic Games, is the Head Physician for the Toronto Agonauts Football Club and is the sports medicine consultant for many professional athletes in the NFL. NHL and MLB.”

HGH is on the banned list of substances both in- and out-of-competition under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. It is, however, legal to prescribe HGH in Canada (presumably to non professional athletes), and under some circumstances it also legal to prescribe HGH in the USA.

Actovegin, a trade name product, is derived from calf blood and it is not approved for sale in Canada. Using, selling or importing Actovegin is also illegal in the United States. This product, which is not on the WADA banned product list, has been used by elite cyclists since the late 1990s under the belief that it speeds injury recovery, especially muscle and tendon tears.

Read more on this story in the NY Times.
Read more on this story in the Toronto Star.
For the I.S.M. Cycling Centre.