The Latvian pharmaceutical company that manufactured and marketed meldonium, the drug that the WTA's current world No. 7 Maria Sharapova tested positive for at the 2016 Australian Open, have said that four to six weeks is the normal course prescribed for the medical use of the drug.

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In an ESPN report, Grindex, the manufacturer of medonium, emailed a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday saying that the normal regimen of treatment is four to six weeks.

"Depending on the patient's health condition, treatment course of meldonium preparations may vary from four to six weeks, Grindeks, a Riga OMX Exchange-listed company," said. "Treatment course can be repeated twice or thrice a year. Only physicians can follow and evaluate patient's health condition and state whether the patient should use meldonium for a longer period of time."

Meldonium also known as mildronate was regularly given to the Soviet armed forces in the 1980's heighten their stamina while fighting in Afhagnistan. It is an anti-ischemic drug that is used for heart conditions in Eastern Europe and ex-Soviet countries.

The medicament is a blood flow-promoting drug, which is used to treat diabetes and low magnesium. It was added to the prohibited list this year because it was found that the drug aids oxygen uptake and endurance.

Sharapova, the former tennis world No. 1, faces possible sanctions after testing positive for meldonium. The five-time Grand Slam winner said she has been using for 10 years for various medical issues. The Russian tennis ace did not specify how often she took the said drug in her announcement on Monday.

John J. Haggerty, Sharapova's lawyer, refused to go into specifics on Tuesday but said during a conference call that he wanted "to disabuse the concept that Maria took mildronate every day for 10 years because that's simply not the case."

Sharapova has won 35 career singles titles under her name and reportedly has career earnings of over $36 million.

TagsMaria Sharapova, wta, meldonium