The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) contacted trade bodies and regulators to remind their members that promoting prescription-only medicines (POMs) is prohibited under both the advertising code and the law.
Its guidance also makes clear that POMs used in medical aesthetics, including botulinum toxin and GLP-1 medications, must not be advertised to the public. It warns that breaches could result in suspension or revocation of a licence to practise.
Ed Senior, senior compliance executive at CAP, commented, “We’ve written to various trade bodies and regulators to remind their members that promoting POMs to the public is against the advertising rules and the law. We won’t hesitate to take action where we do see the rules being broken. This may include applying our own sanctions, as well as informing other regulatory partners or trade bodies of any of their members that are breaking the rules so they can take appropriate action.”
Following this, organisations including the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the British Association of Medical Aesthetic Nurses (BAMAN) and UK training provider Harley Academy have issued reminders of the CAP guidance for its members.
Gareth Lewis, chief operating officer at BAMAN, commented, “In practice, this means nurses should avoid naming POMs in promotional posts, advertising botulinum toxin appointments, listing prices, offering discounts or time-limited deals, running giveaways or using before-and-after marketing where the clear purpose is to promote a prescription-only medicine-led treatment.”