**broken link removed**
EQUIGEN – THE FACTS
by Jason Meuller
Bodybuilders are a funny group of people. Like any other minority group that’s generally unaccepted by society, they are sort of cliquish in way. Bodybuilders tend to stick together, roving in packs, scavenging the land for high quality of sources of protein. And like most other cliques, all is not perfect in our little world. While we’ll circle the wagons to attack an outsider who dares challenge the group, we’ll just as readily attack one another at the drop of a hat.
Bodybuilders also tend to be extremely anti-establishment, secretive, and conspiratorial. I’ve heard stories in bodybuilding circles that make the outlandish claims made by UFOlogists seem like the latest discussion on Crossfire. Nowhere are these behaviors more evident than when the discussion turns to bodybuilding drugs. When new ideas are proposed, or fantastic claims are made, it’s time to sit back and enjoy, because there’s going to be a lot of fireworks.
The Internet has magnified the intensity of these quirky behaviors an immeasurable degree. Prior to the advent of bodybuilding websites, I knew of two “gurus”, Dan Duchaine and Mario DiPasquale. Now, anyone with more than 100 posts on any given bodybuilding board is assumed to be an expert. Given this, and the fact that the Internet allows parties to publicly discuss issues with total anonymity and impunity, it’s only natural that issues can become heated.
At times, the situation can become almost untenable for the parties involved. But at the end of the day, when the dust settles and the hyperbole has ended, hopefully one thing has been revealed. The truth.
Recently I was contacted by an associate of mine concerning the proper use of a drug he had acquired named EquiGen. I initially believed he was referring to Equigan, a product manufactured by Tornel containing 50 mg of boldenone undecyclate per ml. After he explained to me he was referring to a growth hormone product, I started doing a little research. Little did I know what a can of worms I was opening.
Those of you who’ve never heard of EquiGen are probably rapidly losing interest. Don’t!! What follows is not merely a discussion of a new brand of growth hormone, it’s a fascinating introspective into the psychology of bodybuilding. Prepare to be amused, amazed, and maybe a little shocked.
As it turns out, EquiGen is not human growth hormone (at least that’s what the label says), it’s equine growth hormone. Produced by BresaGen in Australia, the product is marketed (as stated on both the package insert and BresaGen website) as “a prescription animal remedy for improving the nitrogen balance in aged horses.” My first reaction on learning this was that my friend has been duped, and he should try to unload his ill-gotten goods as quickly as possible. After informing him of what I thought, he quickly directed me to Renegade Bodybuilding, and a post titled EQUIGEN.
After reading the contents of this thread, I was both shocked and fascinated. In it, the resident guru at Renegade was claiming that EquiGen was not equine growth hormone as BresaGen claimed, but human growth hormone. As if that’s not fascinating enough, the full story was as follows….
“ Equigen is made by BreesaGen, Australia. Is marketed as equine GH (horse GH). I know the marketing manager at Breesa personally and she told me that it was easier for them to market human GH as equine GH than to get an approval for equine GH (eGH is not approved in Aust so they would have had to go throught the whole approval process which is very expensive and time consuming).
So, lucky for us
, this stuff is actually real hGH. A friend of mine who is a pharmacist and very paranoid about what he puts in his body, got this stuff tested through his connections and the result came back as equigen being the correct 191 amino sequence (human) GH. Also, the dose came up as on the label - the stuff is not underdosed at all. “
This is a direct verbatim quote from the initial post on the Renegade website. Wow! What a story! If this was true, I was going to stock up on this stuff. Talk about the bodybuilding story of the decade! I immediately began to do a little more research into BresaGen and their EquiGen product, hoping to be able to find some thread of legitimacy in this fantastic story. What I did find was quite the opposite.
My first thought was that it seemed a bit strange that although BresaGen was unable to get marketing approval for equine GH, the Australian government apparently had no problem with them marketing mislabeled human GH as equine GH. While such a story smacks of ingenuity on the part of BresaGen, it would also mean that the Australian regulatory agency in charge of such affairs was grossly incompetent. This story might be believable if we were discussing this 10 years ago, of if it was taking place in some out-of-the-way Central American country run by a despot with a bad mustache and little in the way of regulatory control. However, is it possible that this could happen in Australia in the year 2001?
FACT #1
This stories credibility took a serious blow when I confirmed that EquiGen is actually approved for sale in Australia. The Australian National Registration Authority, the agency in Australia that would approve such a product for animal use, did so in May of 1998. Whoops!! The following document is taken directly from the NRA website. Strike #1 folks……
12 May 1998 National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals
Registration of EquiGenTM Injection (Equine Somatotropin)
On 12 May 1998, a new synthetic equine growth hormone was registered for supply on a restricted basis in Australia.
It is believed that this registration is a world first, although the product is under evaluation for registration in a number of other countries.
The product, EquiGenTM Injection, contains synthetic equine somatotropin produced by genetic engineering technology. Equine somatotropin mimics and supplements a naturally occurring growth hormone in horses.
The injection has been developed by BresaGen Limited, an Australian biotechnology company based in Adelaide. The company is involved in the commercialisation of veterinary and human therapeutic products derived from research and technology emerging from Australian universities and research institutes.
The NRA’s evaluation of the product has included detailed examination of submissions addressing efficacy, human health, environmental effects, worker safety and implications for trade.
Public consultation has been undertaken and all comments received have been considered. The NRA is satisfied its legislative requirements have been met and the product may be supplied under the conditions outlined below.
What is EquiGenTM Injection used for and how is it used?
EquiGenTM has been registered initially as an aid to improving body condition in aged horses (over 15 years). It is a veterinary therapeutic drug, administered as a course of daily injections, in conjunction with improved nutrition. In practice, the treatment is only likely to be administered to valuable or much loved horses.
The registrant, BresaGen, believes that the product will in due course prove to be of benefit in treating tendonitis and shin soreness in horses, and to assist in wound healing. At this stage the NRA has not received data supporting these claims.
The registrant is committed, by conditions of registration, to developing and submitting additional efficacy data. If the NRA is satisfied with the data, it may be possible to support extension of the product’s use into these areas.
What controls apply to supply and use of EquiGenTM?
At the request of the NRA and BresaGen, the National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee (NDPSC) has scheduled equine somatotropin in Schedule 4 (S4). This means that the drug can only be supplied to veterinarians and used by them to treat horses under their direct care.
During public consultation, some concern was expressed that equine somatotropin could be misused as a performance-enhancing substance in horse racing and other horse sports. The restriction of the product to veterinarians by S4 scheduling will assist in preventing such misuse.
The registrant has supplied racing industry authorities with information that would enable the authorities to develop detection methods, and the NRA has received expert advice that detection is feasible.
What about horsemeat?
Horsemeat is rarely consumed by humans in Australia, but is used in pet food. Australian horsemeat is also exported overseas for human consumption.
The NRA is satisfied that equine somatotropin is essentially indistinguishable from substances occurring naturally in horses and other animals
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) has advised the NRA that there are no objections to registration on grounds of trade.
Although consumption of meat from horses treated with the drug poses no risk to human health, the product is labelled with an instruction to withhold from horses intended for human consumption. This has been done to comply with normal international practice for hormones and anabolic steroids.
For more information
NRA Registration: Trevor Doust (02) 6272 3208
BresaGen Limited: Meera Verma (08) 8234 2660
Ok, ok, so this isn’t the final nail in the coffin. I mean, I suppose it’s possible that BresaGen got EquiGen approved for sale and then started substituting human GH in the vials for the equine GH it was supposed to contain. But now I had to ask myself, why? Since somatropins (the generic name for growth hormone) are species specific, equine growth hormone will have no activity in humans. Similarly, human growth hormone will only work in humans, it wouldn’t do a damn thing for a horse. So, was BresaGen secretly planning on cashing in on the huge bodybuilding and performance enhancement market for GH? And if so, how would they go about informing those that would benefit from use of EquiGen that it was actually human GH?
FACT #2
Rather than being somewhat ambiguous about EquiGen’s activity in humans, the BresaGen literature actually contains a chart explaining why somatotropins are species specific. Hmmm. Common sense would dictate what if I’m producing a bootleg version of hGH that’s being sold under the guise of a legitimate veterinary product, I’m not going to go out of my way to provide the end user with such information. The EquiGen insert can be viewed at
**broken link removed** (you’ll need Abode Acrobat Reader to view this document). Perhaps this isn’t strike 2, but it was damn close….
FACT #3
BresaGen’s products are being counterfeited. Below is a photo of a vial that is supposed to be recombinant human GH.
Here’s BresaGen’s response after they were contacted about the legitimacy of the above product…
“Sorry for the delay in responding, our server has been malfunctioning this morning. I had a good look at the pictures you sent, thank you. No it most definitely is not our human somatotropin product. The logo looks like our logo, unfortunately these can be copied and then reprinted as has probably happened in this case. We have never produced a 20mg vial and we have never had a batch number of H004A. We do not have a liquid formulation of either EquiGen or human somatotropin.
I am happy to help you out with your queries and it would be OK for you to tell the other body builders not to use these products in humans.
My offer for testing the product free of charge still stands - we would be able to tell you if the product is our growth hormone or not. We will pay for the freight costs.
Best regards,
Venka Prichard
Customer Support & Investor Relations
BresaGen Limited
PO Box 259, Rundle Mall
Adelaide, South Australia 5000
**broken link removed**
ph +61 8 8150 8213 direct
ph +61 8 8234 2660 reception
fax +61 8 8234 6268”
Ok, so you’re saying to yourself, big deal, what does this have to do with EquiGen? Well, maybe nothing, maybe everything. It’s obvious that someone out there believes that the BresaGen name carries some weight with bodybuilders. Knowing the reverence bodybuilders have for all performance enhancing drugs that originate from Australia, it doesn’t really surprise me that someone has taken the time to produce a counterfeit BresaGen GH. Is it beyond the realm of possibility that someone else, seeking to cash in on the BresaGen name, decided to start moving EquiGen under the guise that it was really hGH?
FACT #4
Many of the people using EquiGen are complaining of welts and rashes at the site of injections. The reasons given by various gurus for this is that the additives to the product are responsible for the reaction. EquiGen contains the following ingredients:
Chemical Name
CAS Number
Proportion
Mannitol
69-65-8
69.4%
Methionyl equine ST
Not assigned
13.9%
Glycine
56-40-6
13.9%
NA2HPO4
7558-79-4
2.8%
Now let’s look at the contents of a Humatrope vial:
Chemical Name
CAS Number
Proportion
Mannitol
69-65-8
69.4%
somatropin
12629-01-5
13.9%
Glycine
56-40-6
13.9%
NA2HPO4
7558-79-4
2.8%
Hmmm, I only see one difference between these two products. One contains methionyl equine somatotropin (eGH), the other contains somatropin (hGH). I guess it’s not those additives causing an allergic reaction, huh? And last time I heard, users of Humatrope weren’t reporting rashes and welts at the site of injection.
Here’s what is happening. People are injecting a foreign protein into their body, causing an immunological response characterized by swelling, redness, rashes, and welting. Users of this product are told to inject IM in order to alleviate these problems. Perhaps this is because the EquiGen insert advises IM injections. This is only practical since the daily dose for a horse is in the range of 1-5 ml’s per day. Ever take 5 ml’s Sub-Q? Didn’t think so. Regardless of whether you inject Sub-Q, IM, or IV, you’re body is still going to respond by destroying the foreign protein.
Strike 2….
FACT #5
Many of these “gurus” are pointing to the fact that the EquiGen insert says that the hormone it contains is comprised of 191 amino acids, the same number as human GH. SO WHAT! Growth hormone, or somatotropins, are naturally occurring hormones in ALL mammals. And guess what? All somatototropins contain 190-199 amino acids. The fact the equine GH and human GH happen to both contain 191 amino acids is totally irrelevant since the order of these amino acids is totally different between the somatototropins of these two species.
Fact #6
BresaGen is not some fly-by-night company, put together on a whim in order to cash in on an underground demand for human GH. Looking at the employees, structure, and history of the company, it seems almost impossible that they would conspire to defraud the worldwide veterinarian drug market by selling hGH mislabeled as equine GH.
It’s interesting to note that BresaGen was a cofounder of GroPep in 1988. Remember GroPep? The company that everyone and their mom was trying to obtain IGF-1 from a few years ago?
BresaGen has 46 employees, 19 of whom have post-doctoral experience. BresaGen is a publicly traded company that does business all over the world. EquiGen is but one of many products they are planning on introducing to the market, and BresaGen is actively seeking to break into the human GH market by providing a quality product at a cost far below that of its competitors. BresaGen is currently actively seeking approval of its GH product in Australia.
Strike 3……YOU’RE OUT!!
A FEW POINTS TO PONDER
What would the consequences be if in fact BresaGen is selling hGH mislabeled as eGH and they are caught doing so? I’m not an expert on Australian criminal law, but I don’t need to be to know that a lot of people at BresaGen would be in deep shit. And for what? To quickly cash in on the underground GH market? Not only would such a revelation cause criminal charges to be brought against BresaGen employees, but the companies credibility would be completely shot. BresaGen, which has been touted as one of the most promising Biotech companies in Australia by various investment resources, would fold up overnight.
Again, BresaGen is a publicly traded company on the Australian Stock Exchange. The primary shareholder is Adelaide University. This is only natural since BresaGen was started at Adelaide University, and BresaGen works hand in hand with the University. If you’re unfamiliar with Adelaide, it’s probably the most prestigious University in Australia. The American Equivalent would be Yale or Harvard.
If you truly believe that Equigen is human GH, then you must also believe that a very large group of people, many of whom have PhD’s, have conspired to defraud the worldwide veterinary market. You must also believe that Adelaide University, which sits on the board of directors at BresaGen and works hand in hand with the company, is looking the other way. And all of these people are risking their reputation, freedom, and future to what? Oh, that’s right. To supply hGH to bodybuilders and other athletes. Basically, that all these people have collectively decided to reduce themselves to nothing more than drug dealers.
During my research for this article, I was amazed at the number of people who are using EquiGen. I had initially guessed that use of EquiGen would be limited to a few Australian bodybuilders. Not so. I’ve been contacted by bodybuilders in South America, the US, and Europe, all of whom are concerned about EquiGen’s legitimacy.
I initially started this article discussing some of the quirky characteristics bodybuilders exhibit. Despite all of the factual evidence presented in this article, there will still be bodybuilders who will choose to ignore it and use EquiGen because their favorite guru in-residence told them it was hGH despite all of the evidence to the contrary. I’ve presented most of this information on the Renegade thread dealing with EquiGen and was surprised to see people still inquiring how about to use it. I suppose we’ve been lied to so long by the powers that be that some of us would rather believe fantastic stories than the evidence that comes primarily from the very organizations we’ve learned to distrust.
I started my research hoping that EquiGen was indeed human GH. Remember, I’m a bodybuilder first and a bodybuilding journalist second. Below is a direct quote from another email I received from Venka Prichard at BresaGen…
“ The recommended international retail price is approximately US$550 to perhaps US$700 for the six week course which holds 40 vials therefore each EquiGen vial would cost between US$13.75 to US$17.50.”
Ok, so let’s examine this situation for a moment. Venka is referring to the 70 mg vials of EquiGen, which contain 10 mg of eST (eST is eGH) each. But if indeed this product is actually hGH, you’d be getting 1200 IU’s of GH for about $0.46-$0.58 per IU. Stop the fucking presses.
I wish EquiGen were really hGH, I really do. Believe me, I’d be the first person endorsing this stuff. Human GH at that price has never been seen, and knowing the state of the pharmaceutical industry, will probably never be seen. I’d be buying this stuff by the truckloads and building an addition on to my house to hold all my GH. Unfortunately, pipe dreams and lullabies aside, EquiGen was, is, and always will be eGH.
If you’ve learned anything from reading this article, it should be to DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!! I’m convinced that because I’ve established myself as a credible source of information within various segments of the bodybuilding community, I could market freeze-dried bat shit as the latest growth factor out of Australia and people would line up to buy it. Don’t be a lemming, use your own mind. Simply because a so-called guru tells you something, it doesn’t mean it’s true!!
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