The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has made a series of rulings banning adverts from healthcare firms, as part of a wider investigation into the sale of prescription-only medicines (POMS) used for weight loss.
The Skinnyjab
The watchdog looked at a series of social posts and a website description from The Skinnyjab.
Posted to the TikTok account theskinnyjabofficial, the advert featured a video of celebrity weight-loss guru Caroline Balazs. In the ad, she said: “I have been doing weight loss for the last eight years and I was one of the first people to bring these GLP-1 medications into the public domain”.
A secondary post was uploaded to the account featuring another video of Balazs.
In the marketing drive, she said: “Since doing Mounjaro for the last 13 months, and I’ve been doing this stuff for many years, because obviously that’s my job. But what I have discovered, certainly with Mounjaro, is that it has completely changed my life […] I talk to my patients every day, and it’s across the board. They are feeling happier, healthier, they’re living their best lives, this can’t be wrong.”
A third post was uploaded to Instagram, containing a video of Balazs. She said: “One of the things I get asked quite a bit when people are on this medication is that they are still getting hungry, or they haven’t lost their appetite, or they haven’t lost weight, etc, etc. Now as I keep on saying, this medication is a tool. It helps you, but it is not the answer, and where we need to be more sort of aware, is that it’s about your diet, what you’re eating makes such a difference as to whether this medication works effectively or not.”
The brand’s website contained text which read: “Welcome to Our Weight Loss Service. We provide a comprehensive face to face and online service for patients. Ongoing support and next day delivery service of repeat medication direct to your door”, “SkinnyJab was established in 2017 by founder Caroline Balazs – she was the first practitioner in the UK to launch licenced medication for weight-loss”.
The watchdog investigated whether the campaign breached the CAP code because it promoted prescription-only medicines to the general public.
SkinnyJab responded to the investigation, highlighting that its social media content was intended to inform audiences about weight loss medication. It stated that its content was not paid for or sponsored advertising and was directed towards its patients. The firm showcased that its presenters were highly qualified clinical professionals.
The ASA assessed whether the social posts and website content were classed as marketing communications that fell within the remit of the CAP Code.
It also sought advice from the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which expressed concerns over the advertisements as the term “skinny jab” was likely to lead to consumers requesting prescription-only medicines.
It was ruled that the marketing drive breached the CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 12.12 (Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products). The regulator told the brand that the ads must appear again in the complained-of form and that they were not allowed to promote prescription-only medicines to the public.
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Medexpress
The ASA also banned an ad from Medexpress for promoting prescription-only medicines.
The campaign was investigated after a complainant challenged whether the ad exploited new mothers’ insecurities with body image.
Medexpress responded to the ASA, stating that it hoped to support women who had just given birth with their weight loss journey. It added that the messaging at the end of the ad had been intended to “reiterate their message of empowerment through knowledge and choice.”
The firm highlighted that its marketing drive wasn’t targeted by age or gender, and the campaign aimed to intended to offer other options to those who were struggling with changes to their bodies.
It added that it did not refer to POMs and included caveats that all medication would be prescribed following an assessment by a certified health professional.
The ASA banned the ad, concluding it breeched the CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 (Social Responsibility) and 4.9 (Harm and Offence).
It ruled that the ad must not appear again in the form investigated.
Chequp
The ASA made a third ruling banning an ad promoting weight loss from Chequp.
Its paid-for Facebook ad was seen on 30 July 2025. It featured an image of a woman looking at herself in a mirror.
Text on the post read, “I don’t want to be skinny. I just don’t want to be the biggest person in the room”. Further text stated, “Check your eligibility in 3 MIN” and “You will be required to undergo an assessment to check your suitability”. The caption stated, “Thousands are already on their way to lasting weight loss with CheqUp’s guided programme. Check your eligibility today”.
A complainant challenged whether the campaign breached the Code because it promoted POMs; and suggested that having a larger body was undesirable.
The firm responded to the allegations, stating that the ad was for its weight-loss consultation service. It highlighted that the language used in the ad referred to the service, which included prescription-only and non-prescription weight-loss medication.
The company explained that consumers would have to complete the consultation regardless of which medication was offered. It added that patients would be subject to assessment by a healthcare professional and that a consultation was not a guarantee a POM would be prescribed.
Furthermore, Chequp highlighted that it wanted to promote healthy body weight and did not want to make people “feel undesirable or ashamed” of their bodies.
The ASA ruled it breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 12.12 (Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products). It told the firm that the ad must not appear again in that form.
