EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland lock Scott MacLeod has been retrospectively cleared of failing a dope test after an administrative error, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) said on Monday.

MacLeod, 28, who played for Scotland in their 34-13 defeat by Ireland on Saturday, has been cleared to play in their remaining Six Nations fixtures without any further action being taken.

The SRU explained at a news conference that MacLeod had not obtained the necessary clearance for Terbutaline, a prescribed asthma medication.

However, the SRU said McLeod did have the necessary clearance to take another asthma medication and his misunderstanding of the clearance he needed led to a mix-up.

MacLeod, who said at the news conference he had been an asthma sufferer since he was a small boy, underwent a random dope test at a Scotland training session last month.

His urine sample showed the presence of Terbutaline which was taken through an inhaler and is a drug on the World Anti-Doping code's Prohibited list.

However, if a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) has been obtained in advance, the drug can be taken by inhaler.

MacLeod did not have a current valid TUE for this drug, although he holds a current TUE for Salbutamol, another asthma medication.

DIFFERENT DRUGS

MacLeod explained to an independent judicial hearing last Monday that he had a valid TUE for his asthma inhaler and he did not appreciate that separate TUEs would be needed for the two different drugs.

The independent committee was sympathetic and said: "We accept that the absence of the required TUE was entirely inadvertent since the player had a valid subsisting TUE for Salbutamol and that as a chronic sufferer of severe asthma the use of Terbutaline in substitution for Salbutamol was not intended to enhance performance."

MacLeod added: "I was pretty unaware of the different types of asthma medication but this experience has been a bit of a wake-up call.

"I'm not a cheat and I'm pleased that the panel accepted that I'd used Terbutaline inadvertently and that there had been no intention to enhance sports performance.

"Hopefully other players will be a bit more savvy given what's happened to me."

SRU administrator Gregor Nicholson believes that MacLeod's case illustrates an over-zealous approach.

He said: "It is a moot point whether these asthma medications should be on the Prohibited List at all as studies over the last 10 years have consistently failed to demonstrate the performance enhancing effects of these medications."

Scotland are bottom of the Six Nations table with two matches remaining: at home against England on March 8 and away to Italy on March 15.

(Writing by Mike Collett, editing by Rex Gowar)