TWO COMPANIES involved in the illegal sale and supply of what were presented as sports supplements but which contained unauthorised prescription-only medicines were fined at Dublin District Court yesterday.
Judge Dermot Dempsey found Nutrition Connection Ltd, trading at 139 Capel Street, Dublin 1, and Futurepack Ltd, trading at Unit 19, Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8, guilty of supplying unauthorised, prescription-only medicines without prescriptions, selling without a wholesale authorisation and selling by mail order through an internet website.
The companies, under common ownership, entered a guilty plea.
Seven charges against Nutrition Connection Ltd and Future Pack Ltd were found proven and the judge ordered Wesley Rea, director, and his companies to pay fines totalling €1,000 and to make a donation of €4,000 to charity.
He also ordered them to pay €5,000 in costs to the Irish Medicines Board which brought the prosecution and said the board should take custody of the product for destruction.
The product was valued at some €32,000.
The medicines board welcomed the court ruling. Pat O’Mahony, its chief executive, said the ruling sent a clear message to sports supplement retailers and wholesalers that the board would take legal action to prevent risks to public health and breaches of medicine legislation.
He advised consumers not to buy sports supplements containing medicines from any outlet and especially not from internet websites, as they could be endangering their health by using products that have not been regulated or vetted in any manner.
The products seized included Universal Nutrition Animal M-Stack, Universal Nutrition Animal Pump and Fizogen the Burn for Women.
Upon analysis by the medicines board, all three products were found to contain the active ingredients Theophylline and Yohimbine, which are prescription-only medicines in Ireland.
The products are used as stimulants by sports people or body builders hoping to improve their performance.