Highlights
- Instagram post by Gemma Collins promoting Yazen weight-loss service banned
- ASA rules it breached regulations on promoting prescription-only medication
- Eight other weight-loss ads also banned in regulatory crackdown
ASA bans Collins' Instagram advert
An Instagram post by TV personality Gemma Collins promoting a weight-loss drug and digital service has been banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog for breaching regulations around prescription-only medicines.
Collins had shared a promotional video on 6 January 2025, stating: “I’m starting this year two sizes down, thanks to Yazen’s weight loss app and medication.” The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the post unlawfully promoted prescription-only medication to the public.
Prescription medication references breached rules
Yazen, a Swedish digital healthcare company, provides a doctor-supervised weight-loss programme which includes prescription drugs alongside lifestyle coaching. While Collins did not name a specific drug in the advert, she referenced the medication being “prescribed on the NHS”.
The ASA said it consulted the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which concluded that viewers were likely to interpret the advert as encouragement to seek prescription weight-loss medication.
As a result, the ASA found that the advert breached its code by promoting prescription-only treatments directly to the public. This type of promotion is prohibited under UK advertising regulations.
Collins accepted the findings of the ASA’s investigation and confirmed that she would follow the relevant guidance in future social media promotions.
Eight other ads also banned
Collins’ post was one of nine adverts banned in the ASA’s latest enforcement action targeting weight-loss drug promotions. The watchdog stated that all of the adverts promoted prescription-only treatments to consumers, a practice not allowed under UK law.
The other banned adverts included:
- A Meta ad by CheqUp Health stating: “Take the first step to sustainable weight loss with CheqUp.”
- A Meta ad by HealthExpress.co.uk, featuring an injection pen image and rule-breaching claims.
- A Google ad for Juniper UK describing “GLP-1 Weekly Weight Loss Injection” with an injection pen image.
- Two Google ads for Phlo Clinic, one offering “35% off Weight Loss Order” and another promoting “Weight loss Injections.”
- A Google ad for SemaPen claiming, “SemaPen Makes Weight Loss Easier.”
- A Meta ad by Cloud Pharmacy using text message imagery referencing new weight-loss medication.
- A Google ad for pharmacyonline.co.uk stating “Obesity Treatment Jab” with an image of a medication vial.
The ASA ruled that none of these adverts should appear again in their current form. The regulator said it will continue to monitor the promotion of weight-loss services involving prescription medication, particularly on digital platforms.
