Pharmacy websites for weight management services

A different standard applies to weight management pages

Weight management is one of the most heavily scrutinised areas of healthcare advertising in the UK. The regulators that matter here include the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Their rules are changing and being enforced, so a page that works well commercially can still create real problems if it overstates results or promotes a medicine to the public. This guide is about how to describe the service clearly and accurately.

Describe the service, not the outcome

A compliant page explains what the patient can expect from the consultation: an assessment of their health, weight history and suitability, discussion of lifestyle and any treatment options, and follow-up. It should not predict how much weight someone will lose or by when.

Be careful with prescription-only medicines

Prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to the general public. In practice this means weight management pages should not promote a named prescription medicine, offer price-led promotions for one, or use headlines that effectively invite people to ask for a specific product. Instead, describe the consultation and make clear that any treatment is decided by a prescriber after an individual assessment, if it is appropriate at all.

Avoid imagery and claims that draw regulatory attention

• No before-and-after photographs or “transformation” imagery.
• No specific weight-loss figures or timeframes presented as expected results.
• No urgency tactics such as “limited stock” or countdown offers.
• No testimonials that describe results from a prescription-only treatment.
• No language that trivialises weight or targets vulnerable people.

Make eligibility and safeguarding clear

State plainly who the service is for and who it is not suitable for, including relevant health conditions and age limits. Explain that the pharmacist may decide a patient is not suitable, and signpost to a GP where appropriate. Where a person may be at risk (for example, someone with an eating disorder), your processes should protect them, and your website should not undermine those processes by encouraging unsuitable enquiries.

Be exact about what the booking is

If the appointment is a suitability assessment, the button and the page heading should say so, for example “Book a weight management consultation”. Avoid labels that name a particular medicine. The patient should understand that booking an appointment does not guarantee a prescription.

Show the clinical governance behind the service

Trust comes from transparency. Say who carries out the consultation and their qualifications, who the prescriber is where relevant, how follow-up works, and how the pharmacy handles patient data. If you provide the service at a distance, check the GPhC guidance for pharmacies providing services at a distance, including the safeguards it expects.

Pricing without promotion

You can usually state the cost of a consultation clearly. Be more cautious about publishing prices for individual prescription-only products, and check the current rules before doing so. Be transparent about what is and is not included in any consultation fee.

Supporting content that is useful, not promotional

Pages that help patients without selling to them tend to carry less risk and build more trust: what to expect at a consultation, how lifestyle support works, who to speak to if you are worried about your weight, and links to NHS weight management resources.

Frequently asked questions