Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2013
614. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will reassess the necessity to ban over the counter sales of L-trypophan here considering the reversal of a similar ban in the United States in recent times and the fact that the product is also currently available for sale in countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan and the Netherlands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54222/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been advised by both the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) that there is no legal prohibition on the sale of L-Tryptophan in Ireland either as a food or as a medicine. L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which can be found naturally along with a variety of other amino acids in whey protein, hydrolysed whey protein and hydrolysed casein products, which are sold freely on the European market as foods including in Ireland.
I have been informed by the IMB that no product containing L-tryptophan is currently authorised as a medicine in Ireland and that the IMB is not in receipt of any application to license any such product. Products containing L-tryptophan have been made available in Ireland by way of the exempt medicinal product scheme which allows unauthorised medicines to be supplied on foot of a prescription to a named patient.
