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The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is among bodies warning businesses against advertising prescription-only weight-loss medicines.
In a statement published on 18 June 2026, the pharmacy regulator joined the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to remind businesses that prescription-only medicines (POMs) or prescription-only medical treatments cannot be advertised to the public.
They also warned against advertising of “pipeline” medicines that do not yet have a license, the statement added.
The three bodies have seen recent examples of businesses promoting “pipeline products, such as newer forms of oral and injectable products used for weight management, including waiting lists for these products, and newly licensed oral GLP-1s, which are POMs”, it said.
The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing states: “POM or prescription-only medical treatments may not be advertised to the public.”
“Medicines must have a licence from the MHRA, VMD [Veterinary Medicines Directorate] or under the auspices of the EMA [European Medicines Agency] before they are marketed,” it continues.
Roz Gittins, chief pharmacy officer at the GPhC, said: “We will not hesitate to act where those that we register fail to meet our standards. This can include taking enforcement action against the pharmacy, the owner, the superintendent pharmacist or individual registrants.”
In April 2025, the GPhC, MHRA and the Committee of Advertising Practice issued an enforcement notice, which reminded advertisers of the general prohibition on advertising POMs, including POMs used for weight management.
The 2025 enforcement notice applied to online — including social media — and email/direct marketing advertising, as well as posters, leaflets and brochures. It also warned that the ASA’s AI-based advertising monitoring system was actively scanning for advertisements that breach the notice.
In a review of inspections and concerns around weight management medicines and services, published on 16 April 2026, the GPhC said that 17% (n=222) of concerns raised between January 2024 and December 2025 pertained to the advertising of weight-loss services and medicines, including reports that pharmacies paid influencers to promote weight management medicines via discount codes.
Julian Beach, executive director of healthcare quality and access at the MHRA, commented: “The Human Medicines Regulations, including those provisions that relate to advertising of medicines, exist to protect the public. These regulations prohibit the advertisement of a medicinal product for which there is no marketing authorisation in force.
“Creating consumer demand for a medicinal product by promotion of such a product before any UK regulatory appraisal for safety, quality and efficacy and subsequent authorisation has been completed is not permitted. The regulations also prohibit the publication of an advertisement to the public likely to lead to the use of a POM.
“A consultation with a healthcare professional is the most appropriate way to determine suitable treatment options for an individual patient. It is vital that those who are responsible for marketing of treatment services understand the rules in place to protect consumers and remember their professional duty to safeguard healthcare consultations and decision-making.”
Read more: ‘Weight-loss drugs: is social media promotion to teenagers still a problem?‘
