Courts

Woman fined for unlawful possession of weight-loss medicines

Enforcement officers found unlicensed prescription medications after visiting the property of Shaunagh McElroy (33)

Shaunagh McElroy (33) of Fardross Road, Clogher received fines totalling £3,300 after pleading guilty to 18 charges. Photograph: Getty Images
Shaunagh McElroy (33) of Fardross Road, Clogher received fines totalling £3,300 after pleading guilty to 18 charges. Photograph: Getty Images
Sarah Slater
Mon Jan 13 2025 - 18:51

A woman in Co Tyrone has been convicted over the unlawful possession of weight-loss medicines.

Shaunagh McElroy (33) of Fardross Road, Clogher, who was charged with breaches of the UK’s Human Medicines Regulations, received fines totalling £3,300 (€3,900) after pleading guilty to 18 charges.

Dungannon Magistrates Court heard that on two separate occasions in March 2023 and 2024 enforcement officers from the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group visited the defendant’s property, where she was running her SHB Hair and Beauty business.

During their visits, officers found and seized significant quantities of unlicensed weight-loss medicines along with other prescription medication that the defendant had unlawful possession of.

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The court also heard that further weight-loss medication had been intercepted in the postal system by Border Force en route to the defendant’s address.

Peter Moore, senior medicines enforcement officer with the Department of Health, who led the investigation, said that the conviction sends a “clear message” that there are “serious consequences” if a person attempts to “bypass the regulated system and controls” which are in place to ensure public safety and integrity of the medicines supply chain.

Mr Moore continued: “I would urge people to consider the implications of buying drugs online or from dubious sources, there is no way of knowing what you are buying is what you think it is, and this can have serious consequences for your health.

“Of particular concern is the use of unregulated weight-loss injections outside the normal healthcare arena. This investigation has confirmed unlicensed medication in circulation, which presents a real risk of adverse health effects. We continue to monitor the marketplace and will take effective action where this is necessary.”

Canice Ward, head of the Medicines Regulatory Group, added that the risk to public safety posed by the unlawful distribution and misuse of both authorised and unauthorised medicinal products within the non-surgical cosmetic sector in Northern Ireland is a “serious issue”.

Ms Ward noted that people should not be fooled by professional-looking websites or social media websites offering medicines without prescription. “Taking shortcuts and using these medicines could expose [a person] to a dangerous counterfeit or substandard medicine,” she said.

“It is extremely important that people take prescription-only medicines after consultation with their GP, pharmacist or other healthcare professional who have access to patient health records and can consider the risks and benefits associated with every medicine.

“Medicines obtained through unregulated or unapproved sources will often not have been prescribed by a healthcare professional, may not have been subject to the normal safety and quality controls on manufacture and, as such, may not be of the required quality or be of the nature described.”