UK bans weight-loss drug ads on social media for misleading claims and safety risks.

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has banned social media ads for prescription weight-loss drugs from Chequp, SkinnyJab, and MedExpress, ruling they violated advertising rules by exploiting body image insecurities and promoting potentially unsafe treatments to the public. The ads, which appeared on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, were criticized for pressuring new mothers to lose weight postpartum, stigmatizing larger bodies, and failing to disclose health risks, especially for breastfeeding individuals. The ASA emphasized that prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to consumers, and the enforcement action is part of a broader effort with health regulators to combat misleading weight-loss promotions. All companies have removed the ads and are reviewing their marketing practices.