Health Regulation Offence

A Dublin beautician was prosecuted by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) for offences under the Irish Medicines Board Act.

Anne Rossi, proprietor of the Anne Ross Clinic in Dublin 3, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The District Court heard that Botox was a trademark brand name but not a product featured in the charges. However, it was used by the defendant as a term for similar products with the same purpose and active ingredient, namely Botulinum Toxin A.

The HPRA inspector told the court that he had a search warrant and went to the defendant’s home address. Here he found invoices from a health products supplier for Dysport, a Botoxlike drug. The defendant told the inspector that there were Dysport products in her business premises. On inspecting her business premises, the inspector found the Dysport product in a fridge.

The defendant was interviewed under caution during the search. During the interview the inspector said the defendant had admitted that she had administered the Botox-like treatments using Dysport products and admitted she had been doing so for the past year.
She said she injected the customers at a cost of €250-300.

The inspector told the court that the defendant said that she knew the product was subject to prescription control. She claimed that she had tried to find a doctor to administer the treatment at her clinic but was unable to do so.

The prosecution maintained that the Dysport was unlawfully imported into the country without permission and administered to customers by injection at the defendant’s clinic.

The judge in finding for the prosecution fined her €10,000 for unlawfully giving Botox-like treatments to clients at her salon in breach of the Irish Medicines Board Act.

DPP v Rossi Dublin District Court (Judge Brian Gageby) 30.01.23.