Promotion of medicinal products for weight loss by Menwell Ltd t/a Voy – July 2026
Published 5 August 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
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Menwell Ltd (trading as Voy) has agreed to amend its marketing practices following MHRA review of two social media advertisements for oral weight loss medication.
The advertisements promoted Orlos (orlistat) 60 mg hard capsules as identified by inclusion of the statutory information required for advertisement of an over-the-counter medicinal product. Orlos is a P (Pharmacy) medicine indicated for weight loss in eligible adults who are overweight. The advertisements also included statements such as: “coming soon” and “a new dawn is coming” alongside a silhouette of a pill bottle and an invitation to “join the presale waitlist today”, which we assess to refer to a (at the time) future, potential authorisation of a weight loss tablet. The advertising Regulations prohibit the publishing of an advertisement for a medicinal product that is misleading. The Regulations also prohibit the advertisement of a medicinal product which does not have a UK Marketing Authorisation.
MHRA carefully reviewed the advertisements. It was MHRA’s view that the advertisements did not fully comply with the requirements set out in the Regulations for the promotion of an over-the-counter medicinal product. MHRA was concerned that references to “coming soon”, “a new dawn” and a “presale waitlist” did not appear to relate to the product being advertised (Orlos) and were misleading.
Furthermore, the MHRA was concerned that the advertisement, in effect, presented consumers with promotional information about a medicinal product with no UK Marketing Authorisation. It was thought that in the context of the current pipeline of medicinal products for weight management and in the absence of any known supply/demand issues for the established medicine orlistat, consumers would understand such messages as references to a medicinal product which did not have a UK Marketing Authorisation at the time of publishing (a weight loss pill).
Creating consumer demand for a medicinal product by promotion of such product before any UK regulatory appraisal for safety, quality and efficacy and subsequent authorisation has been completed is not permitted. A consultation with a healthcare professional is the most appropriate way to determine the appropriate treatment option for an individual patient.
Menwell Ltd acknowledged the MHRA’s concerns and confirmed that the advertisements in question had been withdrawn. The company also acknowledged that their future marketing activities would be compliant with the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and MHRA published guidance.