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EPO maker to back California Tour
Rumors surrounding the rather unusual sponsorship of the upcoming Tour of California, appear to be true.
USA Today and other media are reporting that Tuesday’s route announcement of February’s Tour of California will also include the revelation of the race’s title sponsor: AMGEN, the biotech firm that pioneered the manufacture of recombinant Erythropoietin, or EPO.
One of the most widely abused drugs in endurance sport, EPO has been at the heart of cycling’s doping scandals since the early 1990s. The company, which boasts more than $2 billion in annual sales, says that its sponsorship is driven by its awareness of the inappropriate use of its product.
"We believe we have a responsibility to ensure that the medicines we develop are used properly," Amgen scientific director Steve Elliott told USA Today’s Sal Ruibal.
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