Alarm at 'wild west' trade in weight-loss injections

Weight-loss injections are being aggressively marketed to UK consumers through often illegal promotions, in a practice experts have described as a "wild west" of drug selling.

- Nicola Davis

The booming market for jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has prompted an online sales war with even the most recognisable high street pharmacies cashing in on demand.

This month the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk revealed global sales of Wegovy totalled £1.94bn in the third quarter of the year, up 48% from the previous quarter, outstripping expectations.

However, a Guardian review of reports by the watchdog that regulates medical advertising in the UK shows how a slew of online pharmacies are flouting strict rules that govern the marketing of prescription-only drugs in this country. An investigation reveals:

High street supermarkets are using loopholes in the rules by advertising discount deals for weight-loss "services" that include – and prominently feature – the jabs.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is preparing to launch a major investigation into the marketing of weight-loss jabs.

The regulatory body responsible for drug advertising has upheld complaints against online advertisements 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 cited on a homepage, and information about them can only be given elsewhere in the context of being a possible treatment option after a consultation.

Price lists are allowed outside of the homepage of a website, but the ASA says they should not include claims about POMs, or encourage viewers to choose a product based on the price – such as a discount offer.

However, a Guardian review of reports by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has revealed many online pharmacies are flouting the rules in an attempt to attract customers looking for weight-loss treatments.