Diet pill death man believed to be from cavan
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has warned consumers of the potential serious health dangers of taking slimming products purchased online after becoming aware of a recent death of a young man following the suspected consumption of a drug containing Dinitrophenol (DNP).
Its understood the 24-year-old man, believed to be from the Cavan area, died after ingesting weight loss tablets containing a highly toxic substance marketed as a “wonder slimming aid”. Its understood he died suddenly at Cavan General Hospital back in May after ingesting the yellow-coloured 'miracle diet pills', which come in a white tube.
The young man's death is believed to be the latest suspected case of dinitrophenol, or DNP, poisoning.
Only days before his death, Interpol had issued a global alert over the threat posed by the so-called diet pills after they claimed the life of a British woman.
The world police agency raised the alarm with forces in 190 countries as the toxic pesticide was linked to the death of Eloise Parry, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, while a Frenchman was fighting for his life after taking the drug.
Both the Garda and Dublin's Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) have launched investigations into the death here in Ireland
A Garda spokesman said their inquiries are ongoing.
Meanwhile the HPRA emphasises that products containing DNP are not fit for human consumption and have the potential to cause serious harm. It advises consumers, as it has done in the past, not to purchase any slimming products which may be illegally available online. Some of these products have been found to contain unauthorised substances which are often undeclared on the pack.
According to Pat O’Mahony, Chief Executive of the HPRA, counterfeit and illegal medicines pose a serious health risk.
“The information we have at this time indicates that this young man consumed DNP and our thoughts are with his family. These investigations are on-going, and we strongly urge members of the public to never use the internet to source slimming products or any prescription medicines at any time - no amount of these products is safe to take. Bogus websites can be very sophisticated and appear to be legitimate. However, in reality they can be supplying unsafe and harmful products. Laboratory analysis of products detained in the past has shown that medicines being sold through illicit websites will often contain too little or too much of the active ingredient or may contain undeclared and harmful substances.”