The World anti-doping agency reports that there have already been 99 positive tests for the recently banned substance meldonium in 2016.

"There have been 99 adverse analytical findings for Meldonium recorded," WADA spokesperson Ben Nichols told the Associated Press in an email.

The news could work in favor of Maria Sharapova, who is currently awaiting sentencing from the ITF. One of several mitigating circumstances in the Sharapova case could be the fact that WADA did not effectively communicate the fact that meldonium went from being legal to banned on January 1st.

Sharapova took full responsibility for failing to open an email that included information on banned substances, but apparently she isn’t the only one who made the egregious oversight.

The question: If WADA knew of the proportions of the epidemic they were experiencing with with regard to meldonium use, could they have been more proactive about directing attention to the change? Whether the argument is legitimate or not, it’s an angle that Sharapova’s lawyer John Haggerty will likely pursue—among others.

Meanwhile the positive tests, and the suspensions, will continue to pile up.