Rules for the brand

Prescription only medicines cannot be advertised to the public in the UK. The ASA, MHRA and GPhC have made clear that this covers far more than naming a drug, and the ASA judges the overall impression of an ad rather than looking for a product name. In public advertising (paid ads, social posts, creator and affiliate content, email marketing, leaflets, posters and any page an ad points to) we do not use:

In a weight loss context the regulator treats imagery that implies a prescription treatment as advertising it, and a before and after of a member on treatment is hard to read any other way. The ASA’s advice page lists before and after images among the signals of a prescription medicine ad. A before and after also makes the old body the problem, which is the shame we want to avoid, and it invites the precise claims we should not make.

Use members’ own words about how life has changed, a member’s own progress chart where it fits, and photographs of members as they are now.

Coaches, members and clinicians in our materials are real people. Stock photography of real people is fine where we have nothing of our own.

Carry “individual results vary” on any figure and prefer averages to promises. The ASA’s weight control rules call out precise amounts within a stated period, so homepage testimonials such as “Lost 2st 4lb in 3 months” are worth checking with the clinical team. They are a member’s account rather than our claim, which may put them on the right side of the line, but it is a question rather than a verdict.

Those rules apply whether or not a medicine is involved. Rule 13.9 bars claims that people can lose a precise amount in a stated period, or lose weight from a particular part of the body. Rule 13.10 allows a featured member’s own result only with the timeframe stated and only where it is representative, and it treats more than 2lb a week as unlikely to be acceptable for someone who is overweight rather than obese. Rule 13.8 bars any suggestion that weight loss cannot fail or is permanent. Lasting weight loss is what the programme is for; it is never a guarantee, so no “keep it off for good”, no “guaranteed” and no “you will”. The rules are summarised under where the rules come from.

We talk about side effects plainly and early, in the assessment, the welcome email and the first coach messages. We never minimise them and we never use them to sell the GP service. The whole team is there to deal with them, which we can say; it is not a reason to frighten anyone into needing it.

We do not target or depict people who are not overweight, and we do not use body image insecurity as a motivator. Eligibility is clinical and the assessment decides it. BMI thresholds stay out of ads: the ASA’s research found them to be one of the strongest signals that a prescription medicine is on offer.

When comparing with online pharmacies and subscription services, we describe what we offer that they do not. We do not name competitors in public materials and we do not characterise their clinical standards.

A post made for a reward is an ad, and we are responsible for it. A discount code, a referral link, commission or a free month is enough, whether the poster is a creator with a million followers or a member sharing with friends. In February 2026 the ASA ruled against Voy, Zava, MedExpress and UK Meds Direct on exactly this. A code that worked across the whole site was no defence, and a refer a friend scheme counted as an affiliate scheme.