[2][3] Actovegin made headlines from 2009 to 2011 when Canadian sports doctor Anthony Galea was charged with drug smuggling, conspiring to lie to federal agents, unlawful possession with intent to distribute and practising medicine without a licence in the United States.
Galea pleaded guilty of bringing misbranded and unapproved drugs, including Nutropin, a human growth hormone, and Actovegin, into the United States.
The discipline committee for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) suspended Galeas license for 9 months for professional misconduct.
[8][9][10][11] Afterwards in 2016, USADA banned the working artist and fashion designer Nick Brandt-Sorenson for life after his third anti-doping offense of being uncooperative.
[17] Nycomed, a Swiss drug company which manufactures Actovegin,[18] claims it can be used for circulation and nutrition disturbances, skin grafting, burns, and wound-healing impairment.
The analysis of the final product shows that it contains a mixture of natural substances: both inorganic components such as common blood electrolytes (e.g. chloride, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, several sources for nitrogen, amino acids, peptides, glucose, acetate and lactate) and organic components such as amino acids, a number oligopeptides, nucleosides, glycosphingolipids and products of the intermediary metabolism.