Seized drugs 'were counterfeit'

The agency warned people to be careful when buying medicines online

More than £250,000 of counterfeit, unlicensed and withdrawn medicines have been seized during raids in Stoke-on-Trent, the drug regulatory agency said.

A woman aged 50 was bailed on suspicion of illegally selling prescription drugs after the morning raids on Tuesday.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said a couple in their 60s were being questioned.

It said the drugs were the "tip of the iceberg" of an expected multi-million-pound illegal online medicine business.

The woman who was arrested and bailed is to appear before police for further questioning at a later date, the agency said.

The raids, carried out with help of Staffordshire Police, resulted from an MHRA investigation into the website Pharma2u.com which sells popular prescription drugs.

'Just don't know'

MHRA Head of Operations Danny Lee-Frost said: "This online pharmacy has been supplying a massive range of medicines from weight and hair loss tablets, to anti-depressants, powerful painkillers and even anabolic steroids."

He warned people to be vigilant when buying medicines online and said this should only be done from registered websites after a GP consultation.

"The dangers of purchasing medicines online are that you just don't know what you are taking," he said.