Around one-third of all prescription medicines illegally imported into Ireland are products dealing with sexual dysfunction, the State's watchdog for drug safety believes.
In its annual report for 2003, which was released yesterday, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said the problem of unauthorised importation of drugs and medicines via the internet or mail order was increasing and this was a cause for concern.
A spokeswoman for the IMB told The Irish Times last night that around one-third of illegally-imported drugs and medicines detected in 2003 were either Viagra or similar products.
The IMB report states that 171 consignments of prescription drugs which had been illegally imported via the internet or mail order into Ireland were detected by the board's inspectors or by customs officers in 2003. Around 32 per cent of these products were indicated for sexual dysfunction.
In a further 83 cases illegal prescriptions drugs were found in the possession of a person entering the country.
"This illegal trade in the mail order supply (mainly via the internet) continues to be a significant issue requiring enforcement action to protect public health.
"In 2003, 38 per cent of unauthorised importations came from the Americas, 13 per cent originated from Africa and six per cent from Asia. (A total of ) 36 per cent originated from within Europe, which reflects the greater freedom of movement of products within the EU," the IMB report states.
A spokeswoman for the IMB said the type of products, which were mainly being imported illegally, were for conditions about which patients may feel uncomfortable going to their GP.
Around 12 per cent of products detected were for skin lightening and 8 per cent were for slimming purposes.
A spokeswoman for the IMB last night warned of the potential dangers of self-prescribing of medications via the internet or mail order.
"The Irish Medicines Board cannot guarantee the quality, safety or effectiveness of any product supplied by unauthorised sources and strongly advises against anyone purchasing medicines in this manner," a spokeswoman stated.
The IMB warned that even if the products obtained by internet were genuine and effective, they could still be contra-indicated for some patients because of other medical conditions they may have. The spokeswoman said this would only become apparent on foot of medical advice.
The IMB report states that international action resulted in one internet site in the Netherlands and one in the UK ceasing to supply Ireland with medicinal products by mail order.
The IMB report also reveals that in 2003 it uncovered 108 cases involving the sale of unauthorised medicinal products.
IMB inspectors also discovered 35 cases of authorised products which were restricted to pharmacies being sold by grocery or other retail outlets.
The IMB report states that during 2003 it received more than 1,600 reports of patients experiencing suspected adverse reactions to drugs. No drugs were withdrawn from the market by the IMB for safety reasons.
The report also states that in 2003 there were three serious adverse reactions in humans associated with the use of veterinary medicine products. "All three of these reports related to inadvertent self-injection," it says.
The report reveals that of 37 critical quality defect reports relating to human medicines in 2003, five affected Ireland in that the product was either on the Irish market or manufactured here.
