Enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seized approximately £350,000 worth of unlicensed medicines on 01 August 2007 at a secure lock-up facility in Uxbridge, West London. The medicines seized were Kamagra tablets and sachets, Lovegra and Apcalis. These are unlicensed medicines used to treat male impotence.

Danny Lee-Frost, Head of Criminal Operations at the MHRA said, "This seizure demonstrates our continuing commitment to protect public health. It is essential that medicines are licensed correctly. The type of medicines we seized cannot be guaranteed to be acceptably safe because they have not gone through the correct licensing regulatory process. At best these medicines could be a waste of money, at worst they could be severely detrimental to your health."

Investigations are continuing.

1. If an individual is convicted of offences under the Medicines Act 1968, they can be sentenced to a maximum of two years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Where appropriate the MHRA will use the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to determine whether or not benefits were accrued through criminal activity and will recoup illicit earnings if the individual is found guilty.

2. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry - to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency