About

THE HPRA AND THE #ZEROGAINS CAMPAIGN

We are a public body with a remit to promote and protect health. As our name suggests, we do this by regulating medicines, medical devices and other health products. Put simply, our role is to make sure that medicines are as safe as possible and that they do what they are intended to do.

Part of this role also involves protecting members of the public from the supply of illegal prescription medicines. Such products are often fake (falsified) and can cause serious harm to those who use them. As well as targeting those behind the illegal supply of these medicines, which we do in co-operation with Revenue’s Customs Service and An Garda Síochána, we also work to inform and advise people about the dangers and risks of using them.

Between 2015 and 2017, we detained almost 600,000 dosage units of illegal anabolic steroids. This certainly appears to show a demand for these products. However, we do believe there is a lack of clear and easy to access information about the many serious side effects that can result from the use of anabolic steroids. It’s also obvious that those looking to profit from the sale of these products provide a very different and filtered version around their potential health effects.

That’s why we have worked to develop our targeted #zerogains campaign which as well as this website includes online and in-app ads, Instagram Stories, and advertising in gyms and on a number of outdoors sites.

The imagery and copy used in the campaign is designed to be relevant to those most likely using, or considering the use of, anabolic steroids. The campaign is intended to be informative providing clear and easy-to-understand messages around people’s health. It doesn’t lecture or tell people what to do but we hope it provides them with the information they need to make informed decisions about their future health, fitness and wellbeing.

*Sources for the information on this site include drugs.ie, the NHS and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (U.S.)