The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
NextMed's GLP-1 ads promised 53 lbs lost, hid the real price and faked its reviews
2025: FTC settled with NextMed for $150K after its GLP-1 weight-loss ads hid fees, faked Trustpilot reviews and promised unproven 53-lb results.
Southern Health Solutions · Next Medical · 2025-07
What happened
NextMed, doing business as Southern Health Solutions, sold memberships for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs with ads built on three kinds of deception. Its prices, 'typically at $138 or $188' a month, hid the separate costs of the drug itself, the lab work and the consultation — and the fact that members were locked into a one-year commitment with early-termination fees.
The weight-loss promise advertised an unsubstantiated average of 53 pounds lost and 23% of body weight, backed by before-and-after photos of people who were never NextMed customers. The reviews were fabricated too: hired individuals, employees and family members who had not used the programs posted fake positive reviews on Trustpilot, while negative reviews were suppressed with gift cards and refunds conditioned on removal.
In July 2025 the FTC announced a settlement requiring NextMed and its principals, Robert Epstein and Frank Leonardo III, to pay $150,000 for consumer refunds and to stop the deceptive practices. The advertising lane had sold hope on a product the claims could not support.
Why it happened
- The advertised monthly price concealed the real cost of the program.
- The 53-lb weight-loss claim was unsubstantiated and used fake photos.
- Fake reviews and pressed-away negative ones manufactured trust that did not exist.
The lesson
A subscription ad that hides its true cost, promises results it cannot back and fakes its reviews is selling trust itself — the FTC settlement that followed shows the whole pitch was the product.
Aftermath
The FTC announced the proposed consent order in July 2025, requiring NextMed and its principals to pay $150,000 for refunds and barring the deceptive cost, weight-loss and review practices. Each future violation of the final order could draw a civil penalty of up to $53,088.
Sources
- FTC — FTC Takes Action Against Telemedicine Firm NextMed
- HIT Consultant — FTC Penalizes NextMed $150K for Deceptive Weight-Loss Claims
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