Person found making fake tablets from machine in bedroom as watchdog warns of risks

Some 1,582 units of weight-loss drugs were seized last year, compared to just 40 in 2022

The Health Products Regulatory Authority has revealed an individual was prosecuted last year after a machine churning out fake tablets from a bedroom to unsuspecting customers was discovered.

The HPRA confirmed the detection as it revealed more than one million doses of illegal medicines were captured in 2024 — a 14% increase on 2023 — with high levels of anabolic steroids and weight-loss drugs.