Despite the International Olympic Committee's vow to vigilantly test for performance enhancing drugs at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, some scientists and sports doctors say that athletes are likely to cheat at the games, and get away with it. The focus is on erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys which regulates red blood cell production. When extra EPO is injected before a competition, it boosts performance by increasing the amount of red blood cells in an athlete's body; those blood cells then carry more oxygen to the hard-working muscles. Anti-doping agencies regularly test athletes for EPO, but some researchers say the agencies can't develop tests fast enough to keep up with new "copycat" versions of EPO, often produced by pharmaceutical companies in India, Cuba, and China.
These cheap versions of EPO, often called biosimilars, can be easily bought over the internet.... Some scientists who track and monitor ...
