The manufacturer of a calming supplement at the center of a doping case that led to the disqualification of rider Tine Magnus and the Belgian eventing team from the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, March 13, released a statement saying accidental contamination was to blame for the situation. 

Magnus’ horse Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z tested positive for the antidepressant trazodone, a prohibited substance under FEI rules, leading an FEI tribunal to disqualify the rider and the Belgian team and retroactively suspend her in February. Toxicology testing done as part of the case determined the source of the trazodone to be a supplement called Relax Pro, produced by the company Global Medics, which Magnus administered to her horse at the advice of the team veterinarian.

“We deeply regret this incident—for Tine Magnus, for the entire Belgian eventing team, and for the equestrian sport as a whole,” Global Medics wrote in a statement sent Thursday to the Chronicle. “This is not a case of deliberate doping aimed at enhancing performance but rather an unfortunate case of contamination. As soon as thorough research confirmed that a batch of Relax Pro contained traces of trazodone, Global Medics transparently communicated this objective information on its official website, pending further in-depth investigation.”

The company, which said it outsources production to the external manufacturer UTB, said the contamination was accidental and outside of its control, happening at the raw-material supplier level. It has withdrawn affected batches of Relax Pro from the market and assured users that all newly produced products are free of contamination. (Any users still in possession of containers with the batch numbers 24D02CA or CA/23J31 should contact Global Medics to return them.) The company emphasized that the affected batches pose no risk to equine health as they contain “an extremely low concentration and thus a clinically irrelevant dose of trazodone.”

“Global Medics has appointed a legal expert to conduct an objective and legally sound investigation into the exact origin of the contamination in the specific batch of Relax Pro,” the company’s statement said. “Current findings indicate that the contamination occurred at the production level, resulting from a contaminated magnesium raw material sourced from Spain. This tainted magnesium, used by UTB in the production of Relax Pro, contained traces of trazodone. Investigations are still ongoing to determine exactly how this occurred.”

The statement said the company has suffered “significant reputational and business damage” as a result of the situation.

“This incident raises an important question: How can supplement distributors and riders protect themselves from unforeseen contaminations of this nature? It is concerning and disappointing that, in such crisis situations, there is not more unity and understanding within the industry to support Tine Magnus and collectively seek solutions for the future,” the statement concluded. “We remain fully committed to transparency, innovation, and the highest standards of quality. In the meantime, we are allowing the experts to complete their investigation, and once the legal inquiry is concluded, we will share the full, objective story.”