6 OXO Maker Claims False Positive

Here's the latest in the Major League Baseball (MLB) doping controversy involving a sports nutrition supplement and the suspension of pitcher J.C. Romero. The parent manufacturer of the ErgoPharm 6 OXO product that is at the center of the doping test failure has reported the supplement is untainted, but likely triggered a false positive test.

In a statement, Proliant Technologies, said: "Although little information has been released about the specifics of the alleged positive test, our preliminary investigation of these allegations has uncovered information showing that the main active ingredient in our product will trigger a false positive for androstenedione."

Talk of the town is Romero tested positive for androstenedione, and Proliant said the 6 OXO ingredient androstenetrione could trigger this exact false positive. However, MLB officials said they stand by their testing and the results, and a lab that conducts the testing for MLB rejected this false positive theory.

As for GNC, where Romero is said to have purchased the supplement, the retailer said it only sells products that meet all relevant legal and regulatory standards for the nutritional supplement industry. "We don't have any comment on the MLB's action against J.C. Romero, nor do we have any proof that the product in question was actually purchased at a GNC store."

Previously, GNC had contended, according to a USA Today report, that "it is a player's responsibility to ensure that any supplement product they consume conforms with their league's product or ingredient standards." Romero countered, "Basically, I am being punished for not having a chemistry lab in my house to test everything I put in my body."

The saga continues.