Medicinal treatment services for weight loss – August 2026
Published 9 September 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advertising-investigations-august-2026/medicinal-treatment-services-for-weight-loss-august-2026
The following companies have amended their advertising following MHRA action on complaints to ensure that Prescription-Only Medicines (POMs) for weight loss are not promoted to the public, including indirect references to weight loss injections or GLP-1 medication likely to lead a member of the public to request a POM.
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MedExpress Enterprises Ltd t/a MedExpress (distribution of email and text message; website homepage review)
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X-Pharm Limited t/a Pharmacy Planet (website homepage)
Treatment-service providers may promote the service or consultation offered. However, the advertising Regulations prohibit the publication of an advertisement to the public that is likely to lead to the use of a POM.
It is not appropriate to send proactive promotional communications such as emails or text messages to the general public that identify a medicinal product in a way that may be likely to lead to use of a POM. Customers or previous customers do not cease to be members of the public by virtue of having expressed an interest in a service or having been prescribed a particular medication in the past.
The list relates to specific advertising action taken on a particular date and is no endorsement of the ongoing practices of the website. You can see details of MHRA guidance for providers that offer medicinal treatment services in Appendix 6 of the MHRA Blue Guide.