A taskforce to look at combating the use of counterfeit medicines has been set up by the Irish pharmaceutical regulator.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland's registrar and chief executive, Dr Ambrose McLaughlin, said there had been a number of initiatives in the EU and worldwide as a result of concern at counterfeit medicines. The taskforce had been set up to protect Irish patients from the dangers of illegal websites selling medicines.
Internet-based sales of pharmaceuticals remained a major source of counterfeit medicines, Dr McLaughlin said, and they were warning patients to be extremely vigilant.
The big issue was that medicines were poison if not taken correctly or in the right quantum. "If you get the wrong quantum, then the consequences can be fatal. Our worry about the internet is that the quantum may not be specified and people may overdose. They may not need medication in the first place."
The level of poisonings here was 60 per cent from medicines, either by self-administration or by inappropriate use.