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The Advertising Standards Authority has banned social media advertisements from three online companies that were found to promote prescription-only weight loss medicines. 

The companies include GPhC-registered online pharmacies Chequp and MedExpress as well as one called SkinnyJab. 

The ASA found the MedExpress ad included the text “I wish I knew sooner that I could lose post-baby weight with a medicated weight loss treatment from MedExpress” with images of a woman viewing herself in a mirror.  

“We found that it encouraged new mothers to prioritise losing weight by using weight-loss medication, exploited their insecurities about body image and perpetuated pressures for them to conform to body image stereotypes,” said the ASA, adding that it was “also irresponsible because weight-loss medications carry warnings for people who are breastfeeding”.

The Chequp ad included the text “I don’t want to be skinny. I just don’t want to be the biggest person in the room,” again with an image of a woman looking at herself in a mirror. 

“We found that this irresponsibly exploited people’s insecurities around body image by suggesting there was a stigma associated with being a certain size,” said the ASA, which has joined the MHRA and GPhC in cracking down on ads promoting weight loss POMs. 

The ASA’s Jess Tye commented: “Both the law and our rules make clear that POMs cannot be promoted directly to the public.  

“Today’s rulings also send a clear message that it’s not acceptable for ads to play on people’s insecurities around body image. 

“This is a priority area for us and we’ve got further work underway to ensure people are protected from irresponsible and illegal weight loss POM ads.”