The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld two complaints against Pharmacy Online over advertising for oral semaglutide weight-loss treatment.
The ruling concerned Meta advertisements and website content published before and after the Wegovy tablet received approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on June 11, 2026.
One advertisement, seen before approval, suggested an oral treatment offered the “same medication” and mechanism as injectable weight-loss medicines. The ASA found that this made medicinal claims for an unlicensed product, contrary to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code.
Separate website and Meta advertisements were also found to promote Wegovy and other prescription-only medicines (POMs) to the public. The CAP Code prohibits public advertising of POMs.
Pharmacy Online said the materials had been produced by an external agency and were withdrawn as a precaution. It said it would review its advertising processes.