Almost half a million dosage units of falsified and other illegal medicines were detained in the first six months of 2022, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has said.

While this represented a big drop from the same period in 2021, when almost 900,000 units were detained, the HPRA expressed concern that “a substantial amount of product is still being sourced online which poses risks to people’s health”.

Between January and June of this year, a total of 486,088 dosage units were detained, with the highest number of these – over 137,000 – found to be sedative medicines. Other types of medicines detained included anabolic steroids, Covid-19 medicines and erectile dysfunction medicines.

“Although the volume of detentions has decreased, we are still observing significant levels of potent, prescription medicines that are being illegally supplied into Ireland. These levels remain very concerning with so many people prepared to take a chance in ordering prescription medicines online,” commented the HPRA’s director of compliance, Grainne Power.

She reminded people that if they obtain medicines from unregulated sources, they “simply have no idea what they are getting”.

“This isn’t merely about people wasting money on falsified or counterfeit products, it is also about the very real dangers of significant side-effects, of using a product without supervision where there is no guarantee of what it contains and of experiencing interactions with other medicines being taken. All of these risks have the potential to make a condition worse or cause serious harm to health,” she explained.

As part of its regulatory activities in this area, the HPRA routinely monitors websites, social media sites and e-commerce listings that sell prescription medicines into Ireland, and will take action to remove or amend content when necessary. 

The HPRA works in close co-operation with colleagues from An Garda Síochána and Revenue’s Customs Service to combat the illegal supply of health products into and within Ireland. It also co-operates and shares intelligence with other regulatory and law enforcement agencies worldwide to prevent the illegal manufacture, importation and distribution of medicines, medical devices and cosmetics.

The HPRA is responsible for prosecuting cases where it considers that there is a significant risk to public health or where there are persistent non-compliances. It also supports prosecutions brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the illegal supply of medicines.