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Irish Times
11-08-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Black market weight-loss drugs ‘not worth the risk', warn pharmacists
Counterfeit weight-loss products sold online 'pose serious risks to an individual's health', the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has warned. The union is urging the public to think twice before purchasing medicines from unverified websites due to the potential for 'serious risks' to health. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) seized 7,815 counterfeit weight loss drugs in the month of May. This was almost five times the 1,582 seized in all of 2024, which itself was a jump from 568 in 2023. Purchasing these products 'is not worth the risk', said Tom Murray, president of the IPU, which is the representative body for more than 1,900 community pharmacies in Ireland. READ MORE 'There are no safety checks, no oversight, and no guarantees about what is actually in the medicines,' he said. The IPU also said people may purchase fake products out of a belief they are cheaper and that it was easier to avail of them through bypassing healthcare professionals, the IPU said. Legal prescriptions for genuine weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic from Novo Nordisk , and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro can cost users about €220 per month. They are not currently included in the HSE's Drug Payment Scheme, which limits monthly medicine costs to €80. They are also not available free to medical card holders in Ireland as a treatment for obesity. Ireland has one of the highest obesity levels in Europe, with some 60 per cent of adults classified as overweight or obese. Nearly a third of people go to the internet for health information, according to a recent study commissioned by the IPU. 'Online consultations have improved healthcare access, but purchasing medicines from unregulated websites is a potential disaster waiting to happen', said Mr Murray. 'There is no way of knowing if [the drugs] meet the appropriate standards, whether they have the correct active ingredients or contain harmful substances. You could be taking something completely ineffective or dangerously toxic,' Murray added. 'If the medicine you purchase is not from a registered pharmacy, do not take it', said Murray.
BreakingNews.ie
27-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Pancreatitis cases linked to weight loss jabs
Ireland's medicines watchdog has confirmed a number of reports of pancreatitis linked to weight loss jabs. GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are under review in the UK after a spike in adverse reactions. Advertisement The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said the number of Irish cases is very low, but people should consult their doctor if they are concerned. HSE national clinical lead for obesity, Professor Donal O'Shea, said it is important people use these drugs under medical supervision. Prof O'Shea said: "The main side effects are gastrointestinal and that's around nausea, vomiting, constipation, but they can cause unsteadiness and dizziness. "And I've certainly seen people coming into hospital having had falls on these treatements, and again the advice is not to take these unless they are prescribed by a healthcare professional."
Irish Independent
19-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Chief of Irish medicines' watchdog appointed to take over European Union Drugs Agency
Lorraine Nolan, who was chief executive of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) overseeing medicines in Ireland, will taken up the prestigious European role. Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne congratulated Dr Lorraine Nolan on her appointment. Dr Nolan was elected by a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot by the EUDA Management Board following a competitive public recruitment process and will take office on January 1, 2026. Minister Byrne said: "This appointment is one of which Ireland is immensely proud. Dr Nolan's distinguished career and expertise uniquely position her to guide EUDA through its important mission of addressing one of the most significant challenges facing our societies today." The European Union Drugs Agency plays a crucial role in monitoring, analysing, and responding to drug-related threats across the European Union. Under Dr Nolan's leadership, the agency will continue to strengthen its capacity to address the evolving nature of drug markets and their associated harms, he said. Minister Byrne added: 'I am confident that the EUDA will benefit enormously from Dr Nolan's expertise and vision. It is fantastic to see an Irish person elected to lead such a prominent and important EU agency. "I very much look forward to working with her in her new capacity and to continuing Ireland's strong collaboration with EUDA. 'Ireland strongly welcomes and supports the appointment of Irish nationals to senior leadership positions with EU institutions and agencies. Such appointments reflect Ireland's commitment to European integration and our ability to contribute experienced skilled professionals to key roles that benefit the entire European Union.' It was announced by the HPRA recently that Dr Nolan will step down from her position as head of the HPRA at the end of this year to pursue new career options. ADVERTISEMENT Dr Nolan has served as the Chief Executive of the HPRA for over nine years and, by the end of 2025, she will have completed two terms in this leadership role. During her tenure, she has successfully guided the organisation through a significant transformation of its key regulatory functions and an expansion of its operations, elevating the standing of the HPRA on national, European and international levels. In addition, her determined and strategic leadership during Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic ensured the national regulator for medicines and medical devices made a vital contribution to the successful navigation of these challenges. The HPRA said Dr Nolan has been a significant contributor to the leadership of both medicines and medical device regulation at European level. Through her former position as Chair of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Management Board (2022-2025) and her membership of the Heads of Medicines Agency (HMA) Management Group, she has held many significant roles at this level that have both defined strategy and positively enhanced delivery. Professor Michael Donnelly, Chair of the HPRA, said: 'I wish to commend Dr Nolan for her unwavering leadership and dedication to the organisation. "Her tenure has been marked by significant achievements and a hugely positive, enduring legacy. I want to express both my personal thanks and that of the Authority to Lorraine for her service and wish her every success with her future endeavours.' The Authority is commencing the process for recruitment of a new Chief Executive of the HPRA to take up the position from January 2026.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘Significant increase' in weight loss drugs like Ozempic being seized in Revenue operations
A number of operations have been carried out by Revenue customs service targeting weight-loss and other medical products. In one operation assisted by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), 85 shipments of illicit weight-loss products were identified packaged as Ozempic and other brands including Wegovy and Mounjaro. During this operation, additional products packaged as the anti-diabetic and weight-loss medication Tirzepatide were intercepted. Another operation carried out over two weeks saw Revenue officers examine parcels at premises in Dublin and the midlands, where they made 635 detections of products. The parcels were found to contain products including illicit medical products packaged as semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and 'substantial volumes of unknown Botox-type and tanning products believed to have been sourced via social media'. A spokesperson said these seizures 'reflect an emerging trend noted by Revenue officers', particularly those based at national mail centres and courier hubs, of a 'significant increase' in the number of packages containing prescription only medical products ordered by mail. They said the 'vast majority' of these intercepted packaged contained weight-loss products addressed to private individuals who bought them online. Larger consignments of the goods are also occasionally detected at ports and airports. Revenue enforcement teams have almost 11,000 individual weight-loss products over the course of all operations, as of May 31. This marks a 'significant increase' on the 2,300 individual products seized all of last year. Consumers have been issued a reminder of the importance of taking care when buying medical products online, 'as they may not be safe or effective'. They have also been advised to be cautious as they could suffer a financial loss if the goods they buy are seized. Investigations in respect of all operation carried out by Revenue are ongoing. In April, the HPRA announced more than one million units of illegal medicines had been seized last year, up 14pc on 2023. This included 203,088 units of anabolic steroids, 146,866 units of sedative drugs, 119,289 units of erectile dysfunction medicines and 113,555 analgesic drugs used for the treatment of pain. The HPRA noted an upward trend in the use of medical weight-loss products like Ozempic. 'While purchasing online is second nature for many of us, when it comes to prescription medicines, people need to ensure that the product is prescribed by a healthcare professional and sourced from a local pharmacy,' HPRA director of compliance Grainne Power said. 'Your pharmacy has sourced medicines from authorised sources for your protection and is an expert in their use. Using these prescription medicines without medical supervision or from an unregulated source leaves people unprotected. 'The seizure of over one million dosage units of illegal medicines last year highlights the persistent extent of the threats posed by falsified and unauthorised prescription medicines.'
The Irish Sun
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Major new ‘will not work in emergency' recall as defibrillator model urgently pulled from shelves amid ‘remove' alert
A MAJOR warning has been issued to people using an essential health device as the product has been issued a recall. A certain amount of the Zoll Powerheart G5 AED defibrillators have a flaw which means the device may not A defibrillator is a Homeowners, However, as they provide essential resuscitation, it is absolutely necessary that they work properly. As such, the potentially faulty device has been READ MORE IRISH NEWS The Health Products Regulatory Authority issued the recall yesterday. The affected item is the Zoll Powerheart G5 AED with the error code EC 501. It is important to note that not all products of this kind are affected, it is only the ones with the error code. The error code should show up on its own after undergoing self-tests. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Bosses said that if the code shows up, the device will not able to deliver lifesaving therapy. What is myeloma? They advised that if the error code shows up, you should stop using the device. They added that the device should then be replaced and kept at its recommended humidity level. The HPRA said: "The HPRA is issuing this Safety Notice to raise awareness of an issue affecting the Powerheart G5 AED, whereby the device may not deliver therapy when needed. "After performing normally scheduled self-tests, Powerheart G5 AEDs may display Error Code (EC) 501 and be unable to deliver lifesaving therapy while in this state. "The issue can be detected during routine inspection." But health bosses said that the rate of acknowledgement from users in Ireland was very low, meaning not everyone is aware of the issue. They said they have issued the safety notice to make people aware of the issue and ensure they take the correct steps to fix it. The HPRA took to Posting on "If your AED shows Error Code EC 501 during a self-test, this means it will not work in an emergency. "Check your device regularly. If you see this error during a self-test, follow the recommended actions." 1 The product has been recalled due to a risk Credit: HealthProductsRegulatoryAuthority
