The owners of a city centre sex shop were left with a stiff fine of €3,000 at Galway District Court for selling ‘herbal Viagra’ containing prescription-only drugs.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) took the case against the David Andrews Senior and Junior of Laura Jane Adult Boutique on Dominick Street.
The charges included supplying a medicine without prescription, supplying a medicine without marketing authorisation and supplying a falsified medicine.
The medicine in question contained prescription-only medicinal substances, Sildenafil (commonly known as Viagra) and Tadalafil (otherwise known as Cialis), which are both used to treat erectile dysfunction.
The defendants claimed that the product – called ‘Golden Root Complex’ – was a food supplement, but they did not disclose the presence of the two prescription-only substances.
A total of 172 capsules were seized, with a value of €1,720.
Golden Root – also known as ‘the blue capsule’ – is sold online as a ‘herbal’ alternative to Viagra and Cialis.
Judge Marie Keane ordered the defendants to pay €2,000 in costs towards the analysis and destruction of the products, and a further €1,000 in costs to the HPRA.
John Lynch, Director of Compliance with the HPRA said: “We continue to warn the public not to buy medicines from unregulated sources.
“There is no way for consumers to know what substances such products actually contain and consequently they can pose a serious risk to your health. Additionally, you should only take prescription medicines under your doctor’s supervision.”