A watchdog has cracked down on a host of weight-loss jab providers for advertising the prescription-only medications to the public.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the nine rulings against the ads – one featuring reality TV personality Gemma Collins – made it “crystal clear” that all injectable forms of weight-loss medication were prescription-only and therefore could not advertised to the public.
In December, the ASA warned businesses and individuals who were targeting members of the public with ads for the medicines.
It said no-one operating in the industry could say they had not been warned that weight-loss prescription-only medicines “must not be promoted to the public”.
The ads banned this week include an Instagram post by Collins, posted on January 6, which promoted the weight-loss service Yazen.
In a video, Collins stated: “I’m starting this year two sizes down, thanks to Yazen’s weight loss app and medication. It’s really quick and easy to get started with Yazen, it has absolutely changed my life… I finally found something that actually I lose weight on.”
She continued: “Yes, there’s, you know, reports and stuff. And I’m not telling anyone to go on this medication, but it is prescribed on the NHS.”
Two complainants challenged whether the ad breached rules because it promoted prescription-only medication to the public.
Yazen said the post had been intended to share information about their “holistic, responsible approach to weight loss”, and had not been intended to focus solely on medication.
Following notification of the complaint, and in agreement with Collins, the post has been amended to remove any reference to prescription-only medications.
Yazen said they would ensure that future posts were compliant with the advertising code.
Collins said she took her responsibilities under the advertising code seriously and strove to comply with them.
She accepted that her posts had promoted the Yazen weight-loss service and app, and said Yazen would approve any marketing materials she might post in future, and she would follow any guidance that the ASA provided.
The ASA also banned an ad for prescription-only weight-loss medication posted by CheqUp, which read: “No GP or pharmacy visit, just a 2 minute online consultation.”
CheqUp told the ASA that they believed the ad had been created in line with what had become widespread industry practice in the weight-loss sector.
They assured the ASA that the ad would not appear again.
Other providers who have had their ads banned include pharmacyonline.co.uk, HealthExpress.co.uk, Juniper UK, Cloud Pharmacy, and Phlo Clinic and SemaPen.
The ASA said the rulings established the advertising of named weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic and Saxenda was banned, as was the use of various claims such as “obesity treatment jab” and “weight loss pen”.
In April, the ASA said a search in January found around 1,800 unique paid-for weight-loss ads which were identified as potentially advertising a prescription-only medicine.
It has published a joint Enforcement Notice with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and General Pharmaceutical Council, making clear that ads for named weight-loss prescription-only medications are prohibited, including online, on social media and by influencers.
