Unauthorised medicines seized at Polish stores

This is part of their ongoing statutory responsibilities to monitor the sale of all medicinal products here and following reports of seizures of unlicensed medicines in other jurisdictions.

During the visits, conducted over the past number of weeks, significant quantities of unauthorised medicinal products worth several thousand pounds have been removed from sale. All offending products which were found to be unauthorised for sale in the UK will be destroyed.

The Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG) along with a number of agencies has a responsibility to ensure that in importing, selling or offering such products for sale there are no breaches of the relevant law including the requirements of the Medicines Act 1968 and the attendant Regulations.

Peter Moore, Senior Medicines Enforcement Officer said: “There are potentially serious public health risks associated with the sale of unregulated and unauthorised medicines like these, some of which would normally require a prescription to obtain. In conducting these visits and removing the illegal products from open sale, MRG have effectively dealt with a real risk to public health. We have visited a significant number of Polish convenience store outlets throughout Northern Ireland and where contraventions of the legislation for which we have a responsibility were identified, medicines were seized and shop owners have been given formal warning and advice on this occasion”.

Head of MRG, Professor Mike Mawhinney commented: “It is vital that we get the message across that unlicensed medicines can be dangerous and we will continue with our regulatory activities to ensure that all those selling medicines do so in strict accordance with the law.”