‘It’s absolutely open to abuse’: a web flooded with offers for weight-loss drugs

After Andy King was told he wasn’t eligible for weight-loss jabs from the NHS, he turned to the internet to order them privately. But it wasn’t long before he was inundated with promotions.

“Every other ad on my social media feed is an offer for a Black Friday deal on the drugs,” he said.

In a video call with The Guardian, King, a 59-year-old leisure management consultant and coach, demonstrated what happens when he seeks out such drugs.

He opened a search engine and typed three words: “Weight loss drugs.”

The results were numerous, with links to major pharmacies offering the jabs at different prices and discounts.

“Weight Loss Injections – Black Friday – Save £20,” read the first result, with a link to LloydsPharmacy.

Below that, a Superdrug advert claimed: “Multiple weight loss treatments available. New customers get a 10% discount with the code…”

“It’s full of price-based promotions for the drug,” King said.

When he clicked on one of the ads, King said the situation felt like a transaction.

“It just feels like this is price-driven. If you want it, you can have it,” he said. “There will be a consultation that you have to go through. But I don’t buy a consultation.”

Promoting prescription-only medicines such as the slimming pills Wegovy and Mounjaro is illegal, and a growing number of online pharmacies have been reprimanded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for such advertising.

However, experts are also concerned about the aggressive promotion of weight loss services that fall within the law. These tend to exploit loopholes in the law, such as the ability to advertise a consultation or service, but often also include references to weight loss shots and their effects.

Oksana Pyzik, associate professor of pharmacy practice and policy at UCL School of Pharmacy, said: “This trend reflects unprecedented hype around weight-loss drugs, with many consumers viewing them as lifestyle products rather than controlled drugs. The public is often unaware of the requirements for prescriptions and consultations.”

The perspective is shared by David Hatton, a semi-retired financial IT program manager. “I’ll be honest, it makes you feel like it’s not a prescription drug,” he said.

Hatton, 62, sought weight loss shots after discovering his GP was unable to provide a prescription. He used AI to search online for the best price for the drugs.

‘You can simply ask the question: ‘What is the best online pharmacy to buy (the slimming shot) Mounjaro?’ and it lists six of them, and it gives you links to them, and it tells you the pros and cons,” he said.

Hatton and King point out that Mounjaro, which is more expensive than Wegovy, is generally presented first on websites, alongside statistics showing it leads to greater weight loss.

Using promotional codes influenced his purchases, Hatton said.

“I hardly buy anything unless there’s a discount code available because I assume that’s what people are going to do, even if it’s pharmaceutical products,” he said. “And that certainly turned out to be the case. I think it’s only been one month that I haven’t gotten at least 15 to 20% off.”

Although discount codes are often described as applying to a ‘weight loss service’, as opposed to the drug, to comply with advertising regulations, the bottom line is that access to the drugs becomes cheaper.

“I don’t see it as a service at all because I don’t see them offering a service,” Hatton said. “I mean, to me it’s total window dressing.”

Marie*, 34, turned to weight loss shots after a friend used them successfully.

“I think it’s crazy how easy it is to buy and how little aftercare there is,” she said, adding that it was very easy to lie when filling out forms for a prescription through online pharmacies.

King, who has ordered weight-loss shots from several online pharmacies, said he was also concerned about how easy it was to get the drugs.

“The obvious thing is that it’s just about weight loss. And who wouldn’t want to lose a few pounds? Not many people. So it is absolutely open to abuse,” he said. “With a few exceptions, who have asked for photos, you can just tell (the online pharmacy) anything, and they’re happy for you to do that because they’re trying to sell you drugs and make a margin. You know, it’s like we’re all kidding ourselves here.”

Marie, who has suffered from eating disorders, said she kept seeing promotions for weight-loss shots. “For the past three months, every time they pop up on my Instagram, the only social media I use, I’ve said I’m not interested because it’s quite triggering,” she said.

When asked what exactly the posts advertised, Marie was clear. “The drugs,” she said.