Woman admits supplying potentially dangerous slimming tablets

A Dublin woman, who admitted unlawfully supplying potentially dangerous slimming tablets, must come up with proposals to pay €3,250 in legal costs, a judge has ordered.

Mother-of-two Lydia McCarthy, with an address at Alexandra Place, East Road, East Wall, Dublin admitted using mail order and advertising the medication on popular websites.

She has pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to 16 counts of breaking medicinal products regulations.

She had already been given eight months to pay fees and expenses incurred by the Irish Medicines Board, now called the Health Products Regulatory Authority. After the medicine board's costs are discharged, the court can then proceed to consider any other penalties which include fines or a possible jail sentence.

However, her lawyer told Judge O’Neill the accused has €300, which was handed over, in court. The woman had expected to be able pay more but had needed the money when a rent increase forced her to move home.

Counsel also told Judge O’Neill that the woman could afford €30 a week to cover the costs.

Judge O’Neill said she faced very serious chargers and he wanted “concrete proposals” from her when the case resumes in February.

She admitted she imported, supplied and advertised prescription controlled products containing Sibutramine, a substance which has been withdrawn from markets across the world.

She admitted importing ‘Reduce 15mg’ on dates in September 2012 and April 2013, without being granted a manufacturer’s authorisation by the IMB. She kept the product for supply and supplied the medicine over four dates in September and August 2012

Three other counts to which she pleaded guilty state she unlawfully supplied Reduce 15mg by “mail order” between August 6th 2012 and September 6th 2012.

She has also admitted that she unlawfully procured the sale of the medicine and placed it on the market without authorisation.

She also pleaded guilty to the unlawfully advertising slimming medicines on websites between August 1st and September 28th 2012. These included the medicines: Reduce 15mg, Reductil and Reductal, which all contained Sibutramine.

She also admitted that in one of the online ads she did not clearly identify Reduce 15mg as a medicinal product.

When she entered guilty pleas to 16 charges the prosecution had agreed to drop another 19 counts.