The UK's advertising watchdog has banned online pharmacies from promoting weight loss drugs directly to the public, following a series of controversial advertisements. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued new guidance aimed at setting clear precedents for advertisers in the rapidly developing market for weight loss treatments.
UK law prohibits the advertising of prescription-only medicines directly to the public. However, an ASA investigation previously found that some pharmacies were either outright violating these rules or exploiting loopholes to promote weight loss injections and pills. This crackdown comes after public complaints about advertisements that were perceived as preying on insecurities about weight.
Separately, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly faced criticism for an advertising campaign that aired during a commercial break following The Great British Bake Off. While the campaign did not name a specific drug, adhering to UK advertising rules, critics argued it still stimulated interest in prescription medications by framing 'obesity as a disease'. The ASA confirmed it received several complaints regarding this campaign, though the investigation was taken over by another regulator due to its focus on a pharmaceutical company rather than a specific medication.
Catherine Drewett, Investigations Manager at the ASA, stated that the new guidance is crucial as the market for weight loss pills develops. "We've acted quickly as this market has developed and these first rulings make clear that these oral medicines, like prescription-only injections, cannot be advertised to the public," Drewett said. "These are powerful medicines, so it's important that ads don't encourage people to seek treatment in ways that could put them at risk."
Among the specific cases, Simple Online Pharmacy and Pharmacy Online were reprimanded for promoting unnamed oral weight loss drugs via social media and website content. An advert for Simple Online Pharmacy invited consumers to 'join the waitlist' for a 'new oral weight loss treatment' shortly before the UK's first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight management received regulatory approval.
Further rulings were made against MedExpress, Juniper, and The Care Pharmacy. The ASA found that even when drugs were not explicitly named, the overall impression of the advertisements allowed consumers to identify prescription-only weight loss medicines. The watchdog also clarified that adverts should not feature images of weight loss injection pens or use phrases like 'reduced appetite and cravings', as these could imply the promotion of prescription-only medication.
Experts suggest that the ban on advertising prescription-only drugs is vital for protecting the public from commercial pressure, ensuring regulated prescribing, and preventing the medicalization of lifestyle-related concerns. The ASA had previously issued rulings in July of the prior year, which allowed pharmacies to mention weight loss injections on their websites but banned the phrase 'weight loss injections' and required treatments to be marketed as part of a broader service including consultation, rather than as standalone products.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) praised the ASA's swift action against rule-breaking adverts. "The MHRA expects all organisations promoting medicines to comply fully with advertising regulations, which exist to protect patient safety," said Julian Breach, the MHRA's interim executive director of healthcare. "Stimulating consumer demand for a new prescription medicine is not permitted. We take advertising that breaches the rules when promoting prescription-only medicines to the public, including weight loss medicines, very seriously."
Breaches can lead to fines and court proceedings, with referrals to the General Pharmaceutical Council potentially resulting in action against pharmacies and their pharmacists. The effectiveness of these new rulings in curbing the illegal sale and promotion of these drugs remains a key question, particularly as over 2.5 million Britons are estimated to be using weight loss drugs, with most paying privately due to limited NHS access.