I think Chuck effectively stemmed the Ox Bow Incident with his explanation of Naproxen and its use. If you listened to ATR Wednesday night you also would have heard Dr. Robert Lewis, Chairman of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, specifically cite Naproxen as a benign medication in the scheme of things.
Here is a link to the germane chapter in the Model Rules on what RMTC is trying to accomplish with them:
http://www.rmtcnet.com/resources/Cha...Rules_1-09.PDF
As discussed yesterday with Dr. Lewis, the issue or problem here isn't the use of Naproxen... It's that there isn't a standard by which it's use is measured uniformally. New York says to stop giving it 48 hours ahead of a race. California 120 hours. Canada 96 or 120 depending on dosage. Arkansas
doesn't even have a guideline for it. The same basic product (Bute) can be used in California on raceday itself.
Here is the schedule of Uniform Classification Guidelines in the RMTC Model Rules:
Class 1
Opiates, opium derivatives, synthetic opioids, psychoactive drugs, amphetamines and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) scheduled I and II drugs. Also found in this class are drugs which are potent stimulants of the nervous system. Drugs in this class have no generally accepted medical use in the racehorse and their pharmacological potential for altering the performance of a race is very high.
Class 2
Drugs in this category have a high potential for affecting the outcome of a race. Most are not generally accepted as therapeutic agents in the racehorse. Many are products intended to alter consciousness or the psychic state of humans, and have no approved or indicated use in the horse. Some, such as injectable local anesthetics, have legitimate use in equine medicine, but should not be found in a racehorse.
Class 3
Drugs in this class may or may not have an accepted therapeutic use in the horse. Many are drugs that affect the cardiovascular, pulmonary and autonomic nervous systems. They all have the potential of affecting the performance of a racehorse.
Class 4
This category is comprised primarily of therapeutic medications routinely used in racehorses. These may influence performance, but generally have a more limited ability to do so.
Class 5
Drugs in this category are therapeutic medications for which concentration limits have been established as well as certain miscellaneous agents. Included specifically are agents, which have very localized action only, such as anti-ulcer drugs and certain anti-allergenic drugs.