Buying GLP-1 medicines in Ireland: HPRA, pharmacies and travel

Start with the Irish product record

Use the Health Products Regulatory Authority, or HPRA, to find the medicine and its Irish product information. Search by ingredient and by brand. Then check whether the result is an injection or a tablet, and which strength it covers. If an offer of oral Wegovy or Foundayo points only to a UK launch, ask the service for the authorisation or exceptional supply pathway in Ireland. A launch in Great Britain is not enough evidence.

Check the dispensing pharmacy and clinical service

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland regulates pharmacies. Find out which registered pharmacy will dispense and whether the consultation service is a separate organisation. Ask who handles follow-up, what happens if the clinician declines treatment and how you escalate a problem. To compare prices, ask for the quantity supplied plus every consultation and delivery charge. A monthly service fee may not include the medicine itself.

Funding and care across the border

Ask your Irish clinician or pharmacy which public or private funding pathway applies to your diagnosis. Eligibility for a diabetes treatment does not mean weight-management treatment will be paid for. If you move between Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain, prepare a treatment summary and check the prescription arrangements in each jurisdiction. The Common Travel Area is no shared system for authorising or reimbursing medicines.

Travel within Ireland and abroad

For a longer stay, arrange continued prescribing before your current supply runs out. Ask whether you can collect locally, which documents you need and how your current strength will be checked. If you carry medicine abroad, check with the destination regulator. Irish dispensing gives you no permission overseas. Leave time to sort out paperwork, storage and clinical continuity before you book non-refundable travel.

Before you buy in Ireland

Check the current product list with the HPRA before you buy. Mounjaro, Wegovy injection, Wegovy tablets and Foundayo each need their own check for the exact product and indication. Approval, a suitable prescription, payment, stock and personal import permission are each decided separately.

• Ask a clinician in Ireland which product suits you and whether your treatment history is enough for an assessment.
• Get the full price, with consultations, dispensing and delivery, before you sign up to ongoing treatment.
• Keep the labelled packaging, prescription and dispensing record. If a parcel arrives damaged or its storage is in doubt, speak to the pharmacist before use.