The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a ruling against an online supplement provider based in Leeds after it advertised prescription-only hair loss medication to the public.
The ASA found that the site had posted before and after images of patients, alongside images of people taking pills identified as Finasteride in the adverts. The ads were accompanied with an ‘Online Consultations’ heading stating, “We connect you to a UK registered prescriber who assesses your case and recommends the best course of treatment.”
Finasteride is a prescription-only medicine (POM) for treating hair loss. The defendant stated that they were aware that the product was a POM, but that they explicitly stated that a consultation with a healthcare professional was required to receive the treatment, so they didn’t believe they were infringing on any rules.
However, the ASA ruled that the advertisements implied the customers would be able to choose what treatments they received regardless of the outcome of a consultation, suggesting the POM would be available to anyone who wanted it. It ruled that the site could not share similar advertisements in the future, and POMs should not be promoted publicly.
