Advertising of prescription-only medicines, such as slimming drugs, prohibited in all media: MOH

SINGAPORE. Advertisements for prescription-only drugs for weight loss and other treatments are banned in all media, health authorities have told The Straits Times.

This comes after a series of online advertisements for weight loss treatments available on telemedicine platforms appeared on social media.

In response to ST’s inquiries in early August, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Services Authority (HSA) said on November 14 that they were reviewing ST-labelled advertisements for weight loss products and would take appropriate action in the event of any violations . .

“This advertisement may not be distributed in any form of media, including digital media such as websites, social media platforms and telemedicine platforms,” ​​the joint statement said.

Since mid-July, ST has seen telemedicine operators promoting their weight loss programs alongside glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

GLP-1 drugs, originally developed to treat diabetes, gained widespread attention after doctors found them effective in helping patients shed pounds.

In Singapore, these medicines are only available with a prescription from a registered doctor or pharmacist.

They can also be prescribed via telemedicine, with Saxenda being the most common GLP-1 drug offered by telemedicine platforms here. This is a daily injection that is administered using a pen.

Advertising of such prescription-only medicines is prohibited under the Medical Products (Advertisement of Certain Medical Products) Regulations 2016.

On November 7, the HSA published a document for telemedicine providers on the rules for advertising health products.

In it, the authorities said that the publication of any information that promotes the sale or use of a health product, directly or indirectly, is considered advertising.

References to or representations of any health products – whether by name, image or indirect descriptions of a specific health product – may be considered advertising, the notice said.

In an online ad seen by ST, the telemedicine operators either showed the Saxenda pen with the label covered or used a blue pen that resembles the product.

Some operators called it a “skinny pen” or “slimming pen” or referred to it as “Sxnda”.

The MOH and HSA said: “Publishing information that promotes the sale or use of specific brands of drugs, directly or indirectly (eg using abbreviations, misspellings, creative names or images of products with masked identifiers) is also prohibited.”

Some telemedicine operators offer GLP-1 drugs as part of a weight loss program.

Their advertisements emphasize the potential weight loss from using the medication, as well as health benefits in areas such as metabolism and energy levels.

Some also advertise buy-now-pay-later services for purchasing drugs.

Health authorities have stated that advertising of licensed medical services must contain reliable information and be such that it can be substantiated.

However, they must not solicit or encourage the use of such services.

“Information about discounts and payment in installments cannot be included in the ad,” the agencies noted.

When asked why they showed GLP-1 weight loss ads despite the risk of breaking the rules, the operators contacted said they were committed to following the rules.

Dr. Sue-Ann Toh, co-founder of Novi Health, said, “We are committed to fostering an open dialogue with regulators to ensure that our practices are in the best interests of society.”

A representative of Ora Group, which operates the andSons and Ova platforms, said the company would “work closely with (regulators) if new rules or clarifications are required.”

Mr Sean Lowe, founder of Ordinary Folk, which runs Noah and Zoey, said the company regularly reviews its content creation policies and guidelines on social media and other platforms, and trains staff accordingly.

“If any content is found to be unintentionally outside of these guidelines, we welcome feedback and are prepared to make immediate corrections and further strengthen compliance oversight,” Mr Lowe said.

Elevate’s co-chief executive, Mr Rio Howe, said the company had “reached an agreement” with the HSA on what constitutes advertising and what content is permitted.

The company “scrupulously follows the instructions given to us, as well as industry norms,” ​​he added.

In addition to the legal risks, the ad has raised concerns about the potential to encourage people who don’t need weight loss drugs to seek them.

One such group is patients struggling with eating disorders such as anorexia, said Dr Tina Tan, senior consultant psychiatrist at the Better Life Clinic.

“In the vast majority of cases, one of the main desires of such patients is to lose weight, which means they may be tempted to take supplements or drugs that they believe will help them achieve this goal quickly,” said Dr Tan.

“However, such consumption does not address the underlying psychological issues these patients are dealing with and can potentially harm the person who consumes them inappropriately.”

While Dr Tan acknowledged the role of marketing in promoting the potential benefits of GLP-1 drugs, especially for those who really need them, she said advertising should include a clear disclaimer about who can use the drugs and who has them avoid.