The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
Morrisons Clinic's weight-loss ad pointed shoppers at prescription drugs
A Facebook ad for Morrisons' weight-loss clinic led to pages naming Mounjaro and Wegovy — prescription-only drugs that must not be advertised to the public.
Morrisons · Phlo Technologies · 2026-07-15
What happened
A paid Facebook ad promoted the Morrisons Clinic weight-loss service, run with Phlo Technologies, for 'From £79 a month'. It showed an image claiming 'Why pay more for weight loss? Morrisons Clinic Together with phlo £79. Market average weight loss service £103'.
The ad did not name any medicine. But clicking through led to landing pages that did. One page, part-way down, described an 'At-home, self-injectable pen designed to aid weight loss' and showed an order confirmation for 'Mounjaro KwikPen 5mg'. Another option compared Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) — both prescription-only medicines.
UK advertising rules ban advertising prescription-only medicines to the public. The advertiser argued the ad was for a service, not a drug, and that users reached the named treatments only after choosing a further route.
The ASA disagreed. It treated the ad's landing pages as akin to a home page under the MHRA's Blue Guide, and found consumers who clicked either pathway were actively presented with prescription-only medicines. The MHRA itself expressed concern the ad was likely to lead to use of a prescription medicine. The claim breached CAP Code rule 12.12 and the ad must not appear again.
Why it happened
- The ad was the clean door to a prescription-drug room: the service pitch hidden the medicine one click away
- A landing page is advertising too — the watchdog treated it like a home page, not a back room the brand could disown
- Naming Mounjaro and Wegovy to the public is exactly the promotion UK law reserves for doctors
The lesson
The ad is not where the ad ends. If a click brings the public face to face with a prescription-only drug, the whole journey is promotion — and the landing page carries the liability.
Aftermath
The ASA upheld the complaint on 15 July 2026, ruling the ad breached CAP Code rule 12.12. It must not appear again, and Phlo Technologies t/a Morrisons Clinic and Wm Morrison Supermarkets were told not to promote prescription-only medicines to the public. The ruling was part of a wider ASA sweep on weight-loss POM ads.
Sources
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