Lawyer: Health and Rejuvenation Center cooperating in probe

by Michael O'Keeffe, Daily News Sports Writer
Originally posted by NY Daily News, Tuesday
September 11th 2007, 4:00 AM

A lawyer who represents the Florida anti-aging clinic that provided St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel with human growth hormone in 2004 said the company has been cooperating for months with authorities who have been cracking down on illicit pharmacies and doctors.

"The Health and Rejuvenation Center has cooperated with a host of federal and state law-enforcement and regulatory agencies over the past year in an effort to ensure compliance with the appropriate laws and regulations, and to assist investigators," attorney Bruce Udolf told the Daily News yesterday.

As The News first reported last week, Ankiel received eight shipments of HGH from Signature Pharmacy in Orlando from January to December 2004. Signature is the focus of Albany County District Attorney David Soares' two-year investigation into illegal Internet prescription sales, which has so far resulted in 22 indictments and nine convictions.

Physician William Gogan signed Ankiel's prescriptions, which were provided to the pitcher-turned slugger by Signature through THARC.

Ankiel was recovering from an arm injury at the time, but HGH is typically prescribed to patients who suffer from AIDS-wasting or pituitary gland disorders, and experts say there are very few reasons why a healthy athlete in his 20s would have a need for growth hormone.

Udolf said the Palm Beach Gardens clinic never intentionally distributed HGH to clients who hoped it would enhance athletic performance, but the company formally adopted a policy banning the sale of growth hormone to ballplayers after after Major League Baseball banned it in 2005.

"Donald Montano, the owner of the company, was given six months to live a few years after he was diagnosed with cancer," Udolf said. "He got interested in human growth hormone and nutrition and he believes that saved his life. He bought the business with the view that it would help people, not help athletes pad their stats."

Udolf said laws regulating the sale of performance-enhancing drugs and dietary supplements were once subject to a variety of interpretations, but when authorities began stepping up enforcement in recent years, THARC executives developed tougher policies governing the sale of HGH.

"The company I represent believes there are legitimate medical reasons for these substances, but they were also aware that a number of people were prescribing these medications pell-mell," THARC's attorney said. "Standards have changed in the last few years, and the policies are much more straightforward now."

But Udolf acknowledged no system is foolproof; AIDS patients, for example, have been known to sell HGH to athletes and others with legitimate medical need.

"The only way to protect yourself is make sure your own conduct complies with the law," Udolf said.