Illegal medicine imports triple as fake Ozempic-style drugs flood Irish market

More than three times as many packages of illegal or fake medicines were seized in Ireland last year compared to the previous year, including weight-loss drugs, sedatives, and impotence medication.

Authorities seized nearly 14,000 individual packages imported by people in Ireland, up from 4,950 the year before.

However, while more people appear to be ordering fake medicines, they are doing so in smaller quantities.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) seized 763,027 dosage units last year, compared to just over one million the previous year.

A dosage unit is measured as an individual tablet, capsule, or vial.

Seizures of the anti-anxiety medication pregabalin more than doubled from 23,442 units in 2024 to 59,905 last year.

This marks the fifth consecutive year the HPRA has recorded rising demand for illegal versions of this treatment, which is also used to treat epilepsy and nerve pain.

The HPRA also warned of a significant rise in seizures of medicines falsely claiming to contain semaglutide — found in Ozempic and other legitimate treatments — or tirzepatide, found in Mounjaro.

In 2024, it seized just 1,582 units, but this rose sharply to 48,752 units last year. The fake GLP-1 medications included 27,329 GLP-1 drops and 17,170 microneedle patches.

“GLP 1 drops or patches are not authorised as approved medical treatments and there is no evidence to support their use,” it said.

“Testing conducted by the HPRA on a sample of the transdermal patches detained in 2025 found that they did not contain semaglutide, contrary to the claims on their packaging and promotional materials.” 

In 2020, just 20 units of products containing botulinum toxin, or botox, were seized, but last year this rose to 2,725.

Products claiming to treat erectile dysfunction made up 14% of units seized, up from 12% the year before, although the number of doses was slightly lower at 103,185.

The HPRA works with An Garda Síochána and Revenue Commissioners.

Last year, it opened a prosecution relating to the manufacture and distribution of GLP-1 medicines. It also shut down or amended 4,762 websites, e-commerce listings, or social media pages, and issued 14 voluntary formal cautions.

Overall, the seized products included sedatives (27%), erectile dysfunction medicines (14%), anabolic steroids (12%), diabetes/slimming products (9%), and analgesics (5%).

HPRA compliance manager Jennifer McCartan warned of “significant risks” to people’s health from buying medicines without supervision.

“Products obtained through online or other unauthorised channels fall outside the regulated supply chain, meaning their quality, safety, and origins cannot be assured,” she said.

“These medicines may be counterfeit, mislabelled, or contain harmful or ineffective ingredients. Using such products can result in serious adverse effects and represents a real but fully avoidable danger to public health.” 

She also cautioned against overinterpreting the figures.

“While we welcome a decrease in overall detentions this year, 763,027 units in 2025 compared to 1,000,984 dosage units in 2024, data for a single year should not be interpretated as an indication that demand for certain products has reduced.” 

She added: “we are also seeing some evidence of packages containing smaller quantities of drops, patches or vials”.

It is not known why people opt for these medications, but she indicated that cost may be a contributing factor.