On April 11, 2023, the Federal Council of Medicine published Resolution CFM No. 2,333/2023 (Resolução CFM 2.333/2023), which prohibits the medical prescription of hormonal therapies using androgenic and anabolic steroids (esteroides androgênicos e anabolizantes, EAA) to amateur or professional athletes for aesthetic purposes or to gain muscle mass or improve sports performance. The prohibition was based on the insufficiency of scientific evidence supporting the benefits of these therapies as well as on patient safety.
The resolution highlights the lack of randomized clinical studies of good methodological quality that demonstrate the magnitude of the risks associated with androgen hormone therapy at levels above physiological levels, both in men and women, in addition to the lack of scientific evidence of a clinical-pathological condition in women caused by low levels of testosterone or androgens.
The new resolution further asserts that the medical prescription of hormone therapies is indicated in cases of proven specific deficiency, where a causal link exists between the deficiency and the clinical condition, and where hormone replacement provides scientifically proven benefits. (Resolution CFM No. 2,333/2023, art. 2.). The resolution reiterates that physicians are prohibited from prescribing drugs whose indication has not yet been accepted by the scientific community. The use of hormonal therapies with the purpose of delaying, modulating, or preventing aging remains prohibited by Resolution CFM No. 1,999/2012 (Resolução CFM No. 1.999/2012).
Eduardo Soares, Law Library of Congress
May 18, 2023
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