Fifteen-fold rise in seizures of false weight-loss drugs in first half of 2025

There has been an almost 15-fold increase in the number of unauthorised medications claiming to be GLP-1 weight-loss treatments seized by Irish authorities in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024. New figures from the Health Products Regulatory Authority showed that 11,350 units of products claiming to contain semaglutide or tirzepatide – the active ingredients found in brands Wegovy and Mounjaro respectively – were seized in the initial six months of 2025, up from 716 units detained in the first half of 2024. The seizures included more than 10,000 unauthorised GLP-1 ‘patches’, despite these…