Watchdog clamps down on illegal ‘skinny jab’ adverts targeting ‘vulnerable people’

The Advertising Standards Authority is concerned by a surge of weight-loss promotions online, many of which break rules, ITV News' Health Correspondent Rebecca Barry reports

The UK’s advertising watchdog has told ITV News it will tackle “illegal, unacceptable and unfair” adverts for weight-loss injections, which are putting “extremely vulnerable” people at risk. It comes as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced details for the roll-out of a new weight-loss injection on the NHS – though fewer than 10% of patients in England who are eligible will initially be able to access it.A recent investigation by ITV News exposed the potentially fatal side effects of obesity drugs, especially if used without the proper regulation and medical guidance.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it is concerned by the “huge proliferation” of weight-loss promotions online and, having detected thousands of potentially rule-breaking adverts in recent months, is warning advertisers to “stick to the rules or face sanctions”.

Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy (semaglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are prescription-only medications. UK laws and advertising rules prohibit them from being advertised to the public. But they are regularly being promoted on social media and in online adverts, with the medications sometimes described as ‘skinny jabs’.

“I was unhappy, I wanted a quick fix” Lauren Redford-Hughes from Darlington told ITV News. The mother-of-three saw an advert on social media and paid £120 for one month’s supply of injections, but soon became unwell. “I woke up and I had excruciating stomach pain. I was lying in bed thinking this could be it for me - but my kids need me. I felt like an idiot.” She thinks more must be done to tackle the adverts. “They’re just everywhere, you look on TikTok and there are girls bragging that they can’t eat anything. Things need to be regulated.” The ASA told ITV News it is now ramping up its investigations into “irresponsible” advertisers.

“We are concerned about the sheer scale and number of these advertisements,” Baroness Nicky Morgan, chair of the Advertising Standards Authority, told ITV News. Artificial intelligence tools are being employed by the ASA, allowing them to monitor 3.5 million social media posts and digital adverts every month. Since August they’ve discovered more than 2,000 adverts for weight-loss drugs, suspected of breaching the rules. Baroness Nicky Morgan, a former Conservative Minister, was appointed as chair of the ASA last month. “We are seeing a huge proliferation of these advertisements aimed at the public, which are illegal, unacceptable and unfair to people who are often extremely vulnerable - and they need to stop,” she said. ITV News previously revealed that the UK’s drugs regulator, the MHRA, has been alerted to 18 deaths with suspected links to weight-loss injections since 2020. “You have highlighted cases where people have not been prescribed these medicines by a medical professional - and have come to harm,” said Baroness Morgan. “That’s why our message to companies, influencers and businesses is they must not be advertising these prescription only medicines.” The ASA has removed a number of adverts promoting weight-loss injections, but so far no advertiser has been fined or prosecuted. Baroness Morgan told ITV News she believes internet companies have the “capability” to prevent potentially harmful adverts appearing online. “We’re going to be working with Google and Meta because it will be even better if these advertisements didn't even reach the public in the first place,” she said.

The ASA is in talks with platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok about placing pre-emptive blocks on certain words or phrases, like ‘skinny jabs’. “They’re paid-for advertisements, they know what they're accepting. And the rules could not be clearer… they should have the ability to make sure they don't appear” said Baroness Morgan. All medicines carry a risk of potential side effects. For weight-loss drugs the most common are gastrointestinal problems like vomiting and diarrhoea. But there are also less common, more serious potential side effects like pancreatitis, which can be fatal. When used appropriately, for obesity or type 2 diabetes, experts say the benefits of these medications outweigh the risks. Today details were announced for the roll-out of a new weight loss drug on the NHS. But to “protect” NHS services from being overwhelmed by demand, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) will initially only be given to people with the “highest clinical need” - those with a body mass index of more than 35 and at least one weight-related illness. NICE says around a quarter of a million people will receive the drug on the NHS over the next three years. That’s fewer than 10% of people in England who are eligible.

Professor Paul Gately, Chief Executive of Obesity UK, told ITV News “social media has filled a void” left by the NHS. He says because weight-loss medications are not readily available on the NHS, with long waiting lists, people are looking elsewhere. “There are a lot of people exploiting people with obesity - by offering medications not in an appropriate, prescribed way. “They are taking advantage of desperate people who are trying to lose weight - and I feel that's unfair and dangerous.”

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