Pharmacies must ‘immediately’ review their advertising and ensure that any adverts for named prescription-only medicines (POMs) for weight loss are removed, regulators have urged.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has issued a joint enforcement notice with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in a bid to tackle inappropriate advertising of weight-loss medicines.
The regulators said they were concerned about the advertising of weight-loss POMs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, including on social media.
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Pharmacy owners and Superintendent Pharmacists have been reminded that failing to comply with the law and guidance on the advertising and promotion of medicines could result in the GPhC taking ‘enforcement action’.
The GPhC said this action could be against the pharmacy, the pharmacy owner and the Superintendent Pharmacist, or all three, and could also see the fitness to practise of pharmacy professionals involved investigated.
The notice applies to adverts on platforms including social media, as well as influencer marketing which involve brands working with individuals who recommend products to their followers, and sponsored adverts that appear on search engines such as Google.
Advertisers have also been warned that an AI-based advertising monitoring system is being used by the ASA to ‘actively scan for ads that breach the enforcement notice’.
In February, the MHRA had separately asked online treatment service providers to review their influencer strategies for weight-loss medications.
The enforcement notice, released last week, states that the name of POMs must not be used in any adverts and that adverts for weight-loss treatment must only promote the consultation.
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Pharmacies were also warned against ‘indirectly promoting’ a POM and have been told to be aware that advertising rules can be broken by advertising a POM without identifying it by name.
Chief enforcement officer at the GPhC, Dionne Spence, said: ‘Our role is to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect and assure the public.
‘It is vital that people receive prescription-only medicines, such as those used for weight management, only after having an appropriate consultation, and when their prescriber has independently verified that the medicines are clinically appropriate for them.
‘Adverts and special price offers should not be used for prescription-only medicines as they are likely to promote the specific POM.’
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She added that GPhC inspectors would continue to inspect pharmacies, including those providing pharmacy services online, to ensure its standards and guidance is being followed.
‘We will be working closely with our regulatory partners to ensure that prompt and proportionate action is taken where necessary to protect the public,’ she said.
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