The head of the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) has warned against purchasing medicines online saying that less than half contain any active ingredient.
Pat O'Mahony, chief executive of the IMB, said An Post and customs officials were seizing hundreds of packages of medicines bought online by Irish residents every year.
"A lot of the websites offering these products are run by criminals, by big operators. When we analyse the products we seize, more than half have no active ingredient. The anxiety for us is what other elements are in there instead? It is a very big risk to public health."
He admitted the IMB enforcement was catching only a tiny proportion of the material being imported. "We have an enforcement team of eight people who spend a significant amount of time looking at websites and intercepting products coming through customs and the postal service. The reality is I am only seeing the tip of the iceberg."
He said lifestyle products such as Viagra and steroids were the most commonly seized drugs. "We understand the social stigma element of going to your GP and asking for certain prescription products, especially when they appear cheaper online. But we always advise against it."
He said IMB staff managed to close a couple of websites selling these products every month.
"Tracking them down is a complex web. Typically the product is sourced in India or China. It is then posted maybe via the Caribbean, the website is hosted in Holland and the proceeds go to another country."
He believes tougher sentences globally are required to tackle the issue. "If you are caught importing heroin, you face getting 10 years. If you are caught importing steroids which can wreck the health of a young rugby player or athlete, you might get a fine. I would like to see tougher penalties. The IMB, Council of Europe and the World Health Organisation have all called for this and it needs to be dealt with on a global level."
When a product is seized, the purchaser is contacted by the IMB and warned that it is against the law to import the product but they are not prosecuted. However, the IMB does take legal action against people alleged to be selling products from Ireland.
In January James McAllister was fined €2,500 in Naas District Court for supplying by mail order an expired medicinal product for use by bodybuilders. The products were being sold into Eastern Europe through ads in bodybuilding magazines.
The DPP is currently prosecuting one case involving 12 charges of alleged unlawful possession and supply of medicinal products. The individual concerned is also charged with advertising products for sale and supplying them through mail order.
Meanwhile, as part of an expanded remit the IMB is also taking over responsibility for monitoring advertising and health promotion campaigns for medicines.
