Olympic leaders have asked the World Anti-Doping Agency to set up a new testing body, withdrawing drug control duties from international sports federations.
The International Olympic Committee made the proposal at a high-level summit in Lausanne, with the measures due to be considered at a WADA meeting in Glasgow on November 19-20.
IOC chiefs called for "a new anti-doping testing authority within the framework of WADA to be established" and they also want a "more robust, more efficient, more transparent and more harmonised" anti-doping system, and more finance for WADA under the reforms.
In addition they said they wanted "to make anti-doping testing independent from sports organisations".
WADA will remain in control of regulatory and compliance in the anti-doping fight but the new testing body - which could operate at the 2018 Winter Olympics - will have responsibility for testing athletes, according to the IOC.
The new body will also have "intelligence and investigation" capabilities, added the IOC, which has also backed a plan for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to take charge of sanctioning athletes who test positive for doping.
Sports federations have had the primary role in deciding on punishments for those caught cheating, with athletes taking their case to CAS on appeal.
WADA's relationship with the IOC hit historic lows ahead of this summer's Olympics in Rio with some IOC leaders accusing it of reacting too slowly to evidence that Russia was running a massive state-sponsored doping programme and questioning the agency's governance.
WADA countered that it has been left dangerously under-resourced.
But by maintaining its supervisory role in the global anti-doping fight and by leading the effort to forge a new testing authority, WADA has been assured a crucial role moving forward.
"I'm very happy with it," said WADA chief Sir Craig Reedie following the meeting.
"The recommendations will strengthen WADA. We're to be given substantial additional authority and substantial additional power, so I'm perfectly happy with that."