The secret Cold War origins of Sharapova's doping drug

The origins of meldonium, the banned drug used by Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, are shrouded in Soviet-era secrecy. Sharapova has been suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation after testing positive for meldonium,

Back in the Soviet Union's heyday, scientists tested meldonium on athletes in clandestine state-run labs, according to Ivar Kalvins, the Latvian chemist who invented the drug.

Kalvins asserts that decades ago he was shown the results of those tests, and they support what Sharapova has told the world: Meldonium is medicinal, not performance-enhancing. "Most athletes should be on this drug," he said. "It protects the heart."

But he doesn't have the actual studies to support his claims.

source CNN