‘Wild west’: experts concerned by illegal promotion of weight-loss jabs in UK
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Guardian review finds many online pharmacies flouting strict advertising rules that govern prescription-only drugs. Weight-loss injections are being aggressively marketed to British consumers through often illegal promotions, in a practice experts have described as a “wild west” industry of drug selling.
![[Composite of screens advertising weight-loss jabs]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fff1807a4b377562b5c54ac8c83ff33cce67d69a/0_0_2583_1550/master/2583.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The booming market for jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has triggered a price battle among online pharmacies, with even high-street chains cashing in on the soaring demand. Last month, the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk revealed global sales of Wegovy hit £1.94bn in the third quarter of the year, up 48% from the previous quarter and outstripping expectations.
However, a Guardian review of reports by the watchdog that regulates medical advertising in the UK shows that many online pharmacies are flouting strict rules that govern how prescription-only drugs can be marketed in Britain. An investigation reveals:.
Supermarkets are using loopholes in the rules by advertising discount deals for weight-loss “services” that include – and prominently feature – the injections. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is preparing to launch an investigation into the marketing of weight-loss injections.
The regulatory body responsible for drug advertising has upheld complaints against online ads for weight-loss drugs every month since April 2023. In the UK, advertising prescription-only medications (POMs) such as weight-loss jabs directly to the public is illegal.
While the ASA states consultations of weight-loss “services” can be advertised, POMs cannot be referenced on a homepage, and information about them can only be given elsewhere in the context of being a possible treatment option after a consultation.
