The number of fake or illegal weight-loss drugs seized by the State medicines watchdog increased 30-fold last year.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) on Tuesday said it seized more than 750,000 units of illegal and falsified medicines over the course of the year.
Overall, the number of illegal products seized was down on the total for 2024, when 1,000,984 dosage units were detected.
However, the authority noted a sharp increase in the number of individual packages detained, with each linked to a separate purchase by a member of the public.
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The 14,000 seizures represented a 180 per cent rise in individual consignments year on year, with a “significant proportion” being presented as GLP-1 products, also known as weight-loss drugs.
The number of seized units of these medicines increased from 1,582 in 2024 to 48,752 last year.
Authorised GLP-1 prescription-only medicines are intended for specific medical purposes, such as diabetes or weight management under certain conditions.
The majority of the seized products were promoted as containing semaglutide or tirzepatide and were presented primarily as GLP‑1 drops (27,329 items) or microneedle patches (17,170 items). Despite claims made in the promotion of these products, GLP‑1 drops or patches are not authorised as approved medical treatments and there is no evidence to support their use.
Testing conducted by the HPRA on a sample of the transdermal patches seized last year found they did not contain semaglutide, contrary to the claims on their packaging and promotional materials. The remaining illegal GLP‑1 medicines seized were presented in other forms, including as tablets, pens and vials containing either powder or clear liquid.
There was also a spike in the number of units of Pregabalin seized, with the total rising from 23,442 in 2024 to 59,905. Pregabalin is often referred to as the “coffin drug” due to the high rate of mortality associated with improper use. Last year was the fifth in a row when seizures increased, reflecting a wider global trend in the illegal use of this product.
Sedatives accounted for 27 per cent of illegal medicines seized last year, with erectile dysfunction drugs (14 per cent), anabolic steroids (12 per cent), diabetes/slimming products (9 per cent) and analgesics (5 per cent) also prominent.
Jennifer McCartan, compliance manager at the HPRA, said the sourcing of prescription medicines “outside of a registered pharmacy and without appropriate medical supervision” posed a significant risk to people’s health.
“Products obtained through online or other unauthorised channels fall outside the regulated supply chain, meaning their quality, safety and origins cannot be assured,” she said. “Using such products can result in serious adverse effects and represents a real but fully avoidable danger to public health.”
McCartan said there were “numerous reasons” why consumers may use unregulated sources for prescription medicines.
“For many it is the knowledge or expectation that a healthcare professional may not consider these products clinically appropriate, while others may be motivated by privacy concerns, ease of access or perceived cost savings.”
The HPRA said it initiates prosecutions in cases where it considers there is a significant risk to public health or there are persistent incidents of noncompliance.
Fourteen voluntary formal cautions were issued last year, and the organisation initiated a prosecution relating to the manufacture and distribution of GLP-1 medicines.
The HPRA said it also shut down or amended 4,762 websites, ecommerce listings and/or social media pages relating to the sale of illegal or falsified medicines.
