What is Meldonium? The banned substance that has seen Mykhailo Mudryk suspended by the FA following positive drugs test

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been banned from football by the FA following a positive drugs test.

The Ukrainian star has not featured for Chelsea since late November with an illness being cited as the reason.

However, it is understood that Mudryk has been unavailable for selection due to a suspected adverse analytical finding.

Chelsea are thought to have launched an investigation. Mail Sport understands the probe is thought to centre around a contaminated supplement.

Reports in Ukraine that the substance is meldonium are understood to be correct.

But what exactly is Meldonium and what is it used for? Mail Sport breaks down everything you need to know.

Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk has been suspended by the FA following a positive drugs test

What is Meldonium?

Meldonium is a Latvian-made drug that is available over the counter and other Eastern European countries.

It can often be obtained in these countries without a prescription.

It was developed in 1970 by Ivarks Kalvins at the USSR Lativa Institute of Organic Synthesis and is now manufactured by grindeks.

Meldonium is usually known by the brand name mildronate, though other names have been used. 

What is Meldonium used for?

Meldonium’s primary use is as an anti-ischemia medication, helping people who have heart conditions according to Grindeks.

It can also be used for ‘physical and psycho-emotional overload’ in otherwise healthy people.

Meldonium’s inventor, chemist Ivars Kalvins, has said it was given to Soviet soldiers fighting in Afghanistan to boost their stamina.

However, Grindeks and Kalvins have argued it shouldn’t be banned in sports, with the manufacturer saying that it ‘cannot improve athletic performance, but it can stop tissue damage’ during intense exercise. 

Why was it banned?

The World Anti-Doping Agency said in September 2015 that meldonium would be banned as of Jan. 1, 2016, and published information on its website. 

A study conducted at the European Games in June 2015 and later published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found 66 of 762 athletes taking meldonium, which the authors called ‘excessive and inappropriate use … in a generally heathy athlete population.’

It was offered to Russian national teams in numerous sports, and was believed to help athletes tolerate tough training workloads.