Rise in seizures of bogus Covid treatments propels illegal medicine seizures up to 500,000

Grainne Power, Director of Compliance with the HPRA, with some of the seized illegal medicines. The number of sedative medicines, including melatonin products, seized plummeted from 434,157 units between January and June last year to just 137,587 units so far this year.

Almost half a million doses of illegal medicine were seized in Ireland during the first six months of this year, including steroids and erectile dysfunction medicines ordered online.

Overall the number of seizures dropped compared to this time last year with a markedly reduced interest in sedatives. However seizures of Covid-19-related treatments increased and the amount of seized anabolic steroids, used to bulk up muscle, did not change.