The UK’s advertising watchdog has banned online pharmacies from running adverts for prescription-only weight loss injections, in a landmark enforcement move aimed at tackling what it called a “wild west” culture of online selling.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have issued nine new rulings, setting out strict precedents for how weight loss medicines such as Wegovy and Mounjaro can be promoted.
Under UK law, advertising prescription-only medicines (POMs) to the public is illegal. However, a Guardian investigation last year found widespread breaches and grey-area promotions by online pharmacies.
The new rules mean that while pharmacies can still reference weight loss injections on their own websites, they cannot display them on homepages or landing pages reached via external links. Ads can no longer use the phrases “weight loss injections” or “weight loss pen” and must instead present such treatments as part of a broader service involving consultation and prescription.
The ASA also banned the use of imagery showing injection pens or vials, and prohibited links to landing pages where named POMs are the only option available.
ASA chair Nicky Morgan said the measures were designed to protect vulnerable people from harm: “Nothing’s so harmful as powerful prescription-only medicines.”
The rulings follow an AI-led monitoring sweep in August and September 2024, which scanned 28 million online ads across all sectors. Of the 20,000 ads flagged from 35 high-priority pharmacies this year, around 10,000 related to weight loss treatments.
Infractions included direct promotion of drug names, use of injection pen imagery, and linking from “weight loss consultation” adverts to pages where only POMs were offered – a loophole now closed.
One case involved an Instagram post by TV personality Gemma Collins promoting the weight loss service Yazen. The ad breached rules because Collins referenced NHS-prescribed medication and Yazen’s site linked to articles describing her use of “GLP-1 weight loss injections.”
The ASA said pharmacies that breach the rules will be told to amend or remove offending content. Repeat or non-compliant offenders may face further action, including ad takedowns in cooperation with online platforms, and referrals to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which can levy fines, bring court proceedings, or sanction pharmacy licences.
While the watchdog said compliance levels were generally high, some online pharmacies did not respond when challenged.
Experts welcomed the crackdown but called for tougher sanctions. Dr Piotr Ozieranski of the University of Bath said penalties should be tied to company turnover and patient risk, while UCL’s Oksana Pyzik warned that celebrity endorsements were still glamorising medical weight loss.
The ASA said more rulings are expected as it continues to monitor online promotions of weight loss drugs, both by companies and influencers.
