Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 June 2026
238. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of websites, e-commerce listings and social media pages selling illegal medicines that were shut down or amended by the Health Products Regulatory Authority in each year since 2021; whether the authority has sufficient resources for this work given the increase to 4,762 such actions in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44377/26]
View answerAs part of its enforcement remit, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) conducts ongoing monitoring to identify illegal online activity promoting prescription medicines and other substances to consumers. It routinely intervenes to disrupt this online promotion through website closures and social media page removals and actively works with e-commerce platforms and social-media companies to identify illegal content.
In 2025, the HPRA shutdown or amended 4,762 such websites, e-commerce listings and/or social media pages. This compares to 2,553 websites shutdown or amended in 2024; 2,348 websites shutdown or amended in 2023, 639 websites shutdown or amended in 2022 and 461 websites shutdown or amended in 2021.
With regard to the increase of activity, of the 4,762 websites, e-commerce listings and/or social media pages shutdown or amended in 2025, 2,755 of these were linked to warnings the HPRA issued in relation to fraudulent websites and adverts promoting illegal websites.
The HPRA continually warns the public that sourcing prescription medicines outside of a registered pharmacy and without appropriate medical supervision poses a significant risk to health. Products obtained through online or other unauthorised channels fall outside the regulated supply chain, meaning their quality, safety, and origins cannot be assured. 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.
