The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) have released a warning to businesses against promoting newly licensed medicines and products that have not yet been licenced.
In a statement, the MHRA said it has identified companies advertising pipeline products, including new oral and injectable formulations for weight-management treatments, with some also operating wait lists for them. The agency adds that it has also seen references to newly licensed oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1s) medicines, which are classified as prescription-only medicines (POMs).
According to the MHRA, because these products are either still under regulatory review or are classed as POMs, referencing them by name or using language such as ‘GLP-1 tablets,’ ‘Oral GLP-1s’ or ‘The new weight-loss tablets’ is likely to breach the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). The agency said that this restriction also extends to advertising waiting lists for such medicines.
Julian Beach, MHRA executive director of Healthcare Quality and Access, said, “It is vital that those who are responsible for marketing of treatment services understand the rules in place to protect patients and remember their professional duty to safeguard healthcare consultations and decision-making.”