Also, leaving aside the scumbaginess of doping to cheat in the first place, since neither of the accused is based in the USA FDA approval seems somewhat irrelev

Also, leaving aside the scumbaginess of doping to cheat in the first place, since neither of the accused is based in the USA FDA approval seems somewhat irrelevant. I'm assuming this is just an NY Times shorthand for saying the drug isn't approved for human use anywhere and wasn't made in pharmaceutical grade facility.