An elderly man who died in Queensland has been dubbed the first Australian to misuse voluntary assisted dying laws by self-administering drugs prescribed for someone else.

Around 1400 terminally ill patients have ended their lives through voluntary assisted dying (VAD) across Australia, including 200 Queenslanders since the state legalised VAD this year.

However, an elderly man who was ineligible for VAD also died after ingesting lethal drugs, said Queensland Minister for Health Shannon Fentiman.

Ms Fentiman said Queensland Health was finalising an investigation into the “incident”, with the State Coroner investigating as well.