Among the banned advertisements was an Instagram post by Collins on January 6, which promoted the weight-loss service Yazen.

In the video, Collins stated: “I’m starting this year two sizes down, thanks to Yazen’s weight loss app and medication. It’s really quick and easy to get started with Yazen, it has absolutely changed my life… I finally found something that actually I lose weight on.”

She continued: “Yes, there’s, you know, reports and stuff. And I’m not telling anyone to go on this medication, but it is prescribed on the NHS.”

Two complainants challenged whether the ad breached rules because it promoted prescription-only medication to the public.

Yazen said the post was intended to share information about their “holistic, responsible approach to weight loss” rather than focus solely on medication.

Following notification of the complaint, and in agreement with Collins, the post has been amended to remove any reference to prescription-only medications.

Collins said she took her responsibilities under the advertising code seriously and strove to comply with them.

Yazen said they would ensure that future posts were compliant with the advertising code.

Other providers

The ASA also banned an advertisement from CheqUp for prescription-only weight-loss medication that read: “No GP or pharmacy visit, just a 2 minute online consultation.”

CheqUp told the watchdog they believed the ad followed widespread industry practice but assured it would not appear again.

Other providers that have had ads banned include pharmacyonline.co.uk, HealthExpress.co.uk, Juniper UK, Cloud Pharmacy, Phlo Clinic and SemaPen.

The ASA said the rulings established the advertising of named weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic and Saxenda was banned, as was the use of various claims such as “obesity treatment jab” and “weight loss pen”.

In April, the ASA said a search in January found around 1,800 unique paid-for weight-loss ads which were identified as potentially advertising a prescription-only medicine.

It has published a joint Enforcement Notice with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and General Pharmaceutical Council, making clear that ads for named weight-loss prescription-only medications are prohibited, including online, on social media and by influencers.

(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.