A spokesperson for the company said it moved quickly to comply with the ASA, had removed the advert and was fully committed to taking an “ethical approach” to advertising in the health and wellness space.
Weight-loss jabs were originally developed to help patients lose weight to control their diabetes, but soon began to be used for cosmetic purposes. They gained further popularity as celebrities such as Adele, Rebel Wilson, Sharon Osbourne and Tesla-owner Elon Musk were open about the rapid weight loss they’ve experienced using the jabs.
Meanwhile, SkinnyJab’s video of its founder talking about weight loss injections was not an educational and informative resource, as the firm had argued, but was in fact an advert and subject to the ASA’s regulations. It said the firm could not promote prescription-only medicines to the public in future by, for example, using the term “SkinnyJab” in marketing material.
The firm said it had removed the advert and was conducting a full review of its branding, terminology and communications.