DIRECTOR General of the World Anti-Doping Agency David Howman hopes an improved test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) will come on stream within the next seven months as his organisation tries to close the net on drug cheats.

The current *lo** test for HGH, which was introduced at the 2004 Olympic in Athens, can only detect the substance up to 96 hours after its use.

"What we're doing is advancing that analysis more and there will be a second test for HGH, which we hope will be out -- and the scientist usually tells me off when I put a date on it -- but we hope by the end of the year," Howman told the Observer in a recent interview.

"That window of opportunity which I described in hours will open more to be weeks. That will then be even more significant in terms of catching those who are taking it," he added.

According to WADA, human growth hormone, which is naturally produced by the body, is known to act on many aspects of cellular metabolism and is also necessary for skeletal growth in humans.

"The major role of HGH in body growth is to stimulate the liver and other tissues to secrete insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). IGF-1 stimulates production of cartilage cells, resulting in bone growth and also plays a key role in muscle and organ growth," the WADA website, www.wada-ama.org, states.

Howman conceded that the current test for HGH, which is prohibited both in- and out-of-competition under WADA's List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, is too imperfect.

"It has a limit and to test positive you either have to be stupid, if you know you are going to be tested or the agency that's tracking you knows that you've just received a parcel of HGH and you're likely to have done it," the WADA boss reasoned.

"So unannounced testing (out-of-competition testing) is the way that that person would be detected," Howman said.

Three months ago, UK Anti-doping reported the first case of human growth hormone (HGH) resulting in a rugby athlete being sanctioned with a two-year ban.

The Wakefield Trinity Wildcats player Terry Newton accepted the ban for the presence of HGH in a *lo** sample that was collected during out-of-competition target testing in November last year.