Sports nutrition company Biogen have responded to claims that their Testoforte herbal product contained banned substances, saying it was safe to use.
Earlier this week, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) issued a statement which read that the product in question had been found to contain anabolic steroids not listed on the product label.
Biogen responded to questions from In the Bunch with a statement that said they had only recently seen the results of the tests conducted on Testoforte.
Biogen
They explained they had no reason to believe the product was unsafe for general consumer use as it had been manufactured according to strict standards.
The organisation said their manufacturer had confirmed there was no evidence of deviations on the batch in question.
In the statement, they explained their products were subject to the most comprehensive testing programme available and did not include World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) prohibited substances.
The statement included a link to the Biogen website, which carried the warning that while none of their products were formulated with banned substances, there was a risk of cross-contamination at manufacturer level.
Athletes using Biogen products were encouraged to use supplements tested for banned substances, such as those in their Informed Sport and Informed Choice certified range.
They confirmed the product in question would be sent for additional analysis and explained this would determine whether the levels indicated the possibility of cross-contamination or whether they were naturally present.
They would also take the additional step of adding and updating the warning stickers on their non-sports supplements and herbal products, it read.
Biogen made the distinction between their sports supplement range and herbal products like Testorforte, which is designed to support healthy, natural testosterone levels.
It contained botanical materials, which, according to the statement, could give rise to traces of prohibited substances such as steroidal precursors.
