HIWU Suspends Probationary HEAL Accreditation of Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) announced today that it has suspended the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory’s (PETRL) probationary Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Equine Analytical Laboratory (HEAL) accreditation status for a minimum of six months, beginning July 8, 2025. Effective immediately, samples collected in Pennsylvania are being sent to Industrial Laboratories for analysis.
HIWU’s independent Laboratory Expert Group, which evaluates the performance of Program laboratories, recommended the suspension of PETRL’s probationary HEAL accreditation due to nonconformities associated with HEAL compliance. HIWU, in consultation with its Laboratory Expert Group, will review PETRL’s response to this suspension and associated corrective actions. Probationary accreditation status will not be restored unless and until the laboratory is in full compliance with HEAL.
HIWU’s review of PETRL is ongoing, and any impact on resolved or pending ADMC Program cases will be publicly disclosed in accordance with Program rules.
The HEAL accreditation program was implemented on January 1, 2025, and is the national laboratory accreditation program established by HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program. Overseen by HIWU, it builds on the foundations of the ISO 17025 and Racing Medication & Testing Consortium models and requires a robust External Quality Assessment Scheme to ensure that Program laboratories maintain HEAL standards.
About the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was established in 2022 by Drug Free Sport International to administer the rules and enforcement mechanisms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The ADMC Program established a centralized testing and results management process that applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across all American Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions that HISA governs. As the enforcement agency of the ADMC Program, HIWU oversees all testing processes, including the selection of horses to be tested, training of sample collection personnel, and chain-of-custody procedures. Additionally, HIWU is charged with industry/stakeholder education, laboratory accreditation, results management and adjudication, and investigations. For more information, please visit hiwu.org.
Contact:
Alexa Ravit, HIWU Director of Communications & Outreach
(816) 516-9572
aravit@hiwu.org