Over 60,000 units of illegal prescription medicines have been seized in Ireland as part of a major global operation.

As part of Operation Pangea IX, 60,000 falsified/counterfeit and other illegal medicines worth €350,000 were seized, including anabolic steroids, sedatives, stimulants, painkillers, weight loss products and products for erectile dysfunction.

The main countries of origin for the products detained in Ireland were India, the US, the UK, Romania, Switzerland, Singapore and Poland.

Pangea IX involved a total of 193 enforcement agencies in 103 countries, with most of the operation's focus being placed on the sale of illegal medicines online.

The Irish part of the operation was jointly led by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), Revenue's Customs Service and the Gardai.

According to HPRA chief executive, Lorraine Nolan, the public needs to understand that falsified medicines and medical devices ‘pose a very significant risk to their health'.

"From tests on some products detained in recent years, many of these medicines contain too much or too little or no active ingredient at all. There are simply no guarantees as to what is contained in the products. We urge members of the public not to use unverified and unregulated sources to buy prescription only and illegal medicines, including over the internet," she commented.

She reminded the public that no online pharmacy is authorised to sell prescription medicines into Ireland. Furthermore, the supply of prescription medicines by mail order, including via the internet, is prohibited.

Operation Pangea first took place in 2008 and involved just eight countries, including Ireland. Operation Pangea IX is the largest since its inception and led to 318 arrests worldwide, including two in Ireland.

Meanwhile, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) also reminded people of the dangers of buying medicines from unauthorised sources. It said that there is simply no way of knowing whether the products you have bought are genuine.

"Anyone who buys medicines from an unauthorised source should think twice before putting themselves at serious risk. There is no way of knowing if the medicine is counterfeit. Before taking prescription medicines, it is important that patients have a face-to-face consultation with their pharmacist or a doctor," commented Ann Marie Horan of the IPU.

She noted that in the past, a number of questionable ingredients have been found in counterfeit medicines, including chalk in paracetamol, rat poison in blood pressure medicine and talcum powder in cholesterol-lowering medication.