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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a number of posts shared by social media users promoting weight-loss prescription-only medicines and advertising the drugs for online pharmacies. 

In what are the ASA’s first rulings on adverts for weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro promoted through affiliate links and referral schemes, posts on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook were found to contain discount codes and referral links for Voy, Zava, MedExpress and UK Meds Direct.

The ASA said the posts “broke the law” because they advertised prescription medicines to the public. According to Sky News, Voy and Zava said the posts were shared independently by customers.

The ASA said anyone can use affiliate or referral schemes to promote prescription medicines to friends or family by sharing links or discount codes and earning a reward if someone clicks on them.

“In practice, this can mean members of the public promoting prescription medicines…sometimes without realising that their posts may be ads or that strict rules apply,” the ASA said.

It warned “both brands and individuals” must abide by advertising rules. “Posts referencing affiliate or referral schemes can still count as ads, even if they appear on personal social media accounts,” it said.

The ASA said the banned ads promoted prescription-only medicines “by naming them directly, using related hashtags, showing images of injection pens or encouraging followers to start their own weight-loss ‘journey’, alongside offering discounts or incentives”.

“Although the companies hadn’t directly asked for the posts to be made, they did control how their affiliate and referral schemes worked,” the regulator added. “This meant they were also responsible for making sure the advertising rules were followed.”