A series of adverts for weight-loss services have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK for promoting prescription-only medicines (POMs), which is against the law.
Nine ads – including a social post by TV personality and social media influencer Gemma Collins – have been taken to task as part of a crackdown on the illegal promotion of GLP-1 agonist injections for weight-loss to the public.
All GLP-1 medicines are POM, which means they can only be prescribed by a healthcare professional, and only some are approved for weight loss in the UK.
Burgeoning demand for the injections – sometimes known as ‘skinny jabs’ – has raised concerns of people being exposed to counterfeit and otherwise illegal preparations that could according to the UK medicines regulatory authority, the MHRA, “pose significant health risks.”
In Collins’ case, the ASA took exception to a paid-for Instagram post in January in which she promoted the Swedish digital health platform’ Yazen’s weight-loss service, saying: “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.”
She continued: “I finally found something that actually I lose weight on. All you need to do is download the app and answer a few quick questions about your goals. Do not buy it from anyone but Yazen.”
Yazen said it does not sell medicine directly and has no interest in advertising POMs to the public. However, the ASA said the MHRA expressed concern that consumers were likely to be led to request a POM for weight loss, and it has concluded a breach of its code of practice had been committed.
Collins said she accepted her posts had promoted Yazen and its app, and she would follow the ASA’s guidance in future.
While Collins’ involvement has given the Yazen ad prominence, eight other adverts from other providers have also been banned for promoting prescription-only weight-loss medications.
Those include paid-for ads on Instagram and Facebook parent Meta for CheqUp Health, HealthExpress.co.uk, and Cloud Pharmacy, and Google search ads sponsored by Juniper UK, Phlo Clinic, SemaPen, and PharmacyOnline.co.uk.
“Using our AI-based Active Ad Monitoring system to monitor for problem ads and launch proactive investigations, we have published rulings that make crystal clear that all injectable forms of weight-loss medication are POMs and can’t be advertised, even where ads don’t explicitly name a medicine,” said the ASA.
“We’re not here to regulate the drugs, their safety or availability. And we acknowledge the role they might play in combating obesity. But we are here to protect people from irresponsible and, in the case of weight-loss POMs, illegal ads,” it added.
“These issues won’t be resolved overnight, we know the scale of the problem and that means approaching this in a methodical, phased way. We’ll continue to make sure weight-loss providers take their medicine rather than advertising it.”
It’s worth noting that some social media companies have also started to pay attention to the promotion of POMs, perhaps concerned they could come under scrutiny by the authorities.
For example, TikTok recently changed its terms on branded content to prohibit paid-for posts involving a range of industries, including “pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and medicine products” claiming health benefits.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash