World Rugby have confirmed the failures after the Rugby Union of Russia (RUR) released a statement revealing that the couple had failed out-of-competition tests.

“Men’s sevens player Alexei Mikhaltsov and women’s sevens player Alena Mikhaltsova (née Bogacheva) tested positive following World Rugby out-of-competition testing in early 2016,” the RUR stated.

“Both have been notified of the positive tests.”

The governing body have since revealed that Alexey was provisionally suspended on February 4, while Alena’s suspension from competition began on February 26.

The couple are the latest confirmed cases involving meldonium, which was only added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list on January 1.

Developed in Lativa, the heart attack drug was moved from the monitored to the prohibited list by WADA due to “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance”.

WADA confirmed yesterday that 99 athletes have tested positive since it was added to the banned list.

Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner, is the most high profile athlete to test positive to date, with the Russian having announcing her failed test on Monday (March 7).

Among those to have been named in connection with the drug so far include Ethiopia's Tokyo Marathon winner Endeshaw Negesse, Sweden's Ethiopian-born former world 1500 metres champion Abeba Aregawi and Russian speed skating champion Pavel Kulizhnikov.

Speed skater Semyon Elistratov and ice dancer Ekaterina Bobrova, both of Russia, and Georgian wrestler Davit Modzmanashvili have also been implicated.

Biathletes Eduard Latypov of Russia and Ukraine’s Olga Abramova and Artem Tyshchenko are among others to have been named.

The drug's Latvian founder Ivars Kalvins claimed in 2009 that meldonium was given to Soviet soldiers during the Afghanistan War in the 1980s in order to boost endurance.