There has been a sharp increase in the volume of illegal medicines detained in the first half of this year, compared to 2023, with more than 700,000 falsified or illegal medicines seized so far.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) reported the increase on Wednesday, stating that it had detained 706,881 dosage units of falsified and illegal medicines between January and June 2024, compared to 551,582 units for the same period last year.
The HPRA cautioned the public of the serious health risks posed by prescription medicines being purchased online from unauthorised sources. There was no guarantee as to the safety or quality of illegal prescription medicines purchased outside of the regulated pharmacy setting, it said.
[ Pharmacists dispensing unlicensed medications due to shortagesOpens in new window ]
The most significant categories of illegal products detained so far this year included anabolic steroids (23 per cent), analgesics – pain killers (14 per cent), sedatives (11 per cent) and erectile dysfunction medicines (10 per cent).
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As part of its enforcement measures, the HPRA is monitoring online activity promoting prescription medicines and other substances, and routinely intervenes to disrupt this promotion, it said.
So far this year, it has had 1,603 ecommerce listings or social media pages amended or shutdown.
One prosecution has been initiated and four voluntary formal cautions have been issued.
Gráinne Power, director of compliance at the HPRA, said it was “alarming to see consumers willing to take risks by purchasing illegal medicines online and from unregulated sources, and this includes products for cosmetic and body image purposes”.
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“We believe young men in particular may be sourcing anabolic steroids for body enhancement…Anabolic steroids can cause serious physical and psychological health issues,” she said. The potential physical side effects alone included heart failure, liver issues, kidney damage, and infertility.
There was also a notable rise in detentions of Semaglutide, a prescription medication intended for specific medical purposes such as diabetes or weight management under certain conditions, she said.
While overall the numbers detained are small in comparison to other products, the HPRA has already in the first six months of 2024 detained almost triple the volume of illegal units of Semaglutide detained last year.
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