FOI release

MHRA action concerning advertising or promotion of weight-loss medicines and services, 2023-2026

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2026/00960

Received 26 August 2026

Published 9 October 2026

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I have checked the MHRA's published advertising investigations series and the MHRA FOI disclosure log and have not been able to locate the information below, so I do not believe section 21 applies. For each of the periods 1 January to 31 December 2023, 1 January to 31 December 2024, 1 January to 31 December 2025, and 1 January to 26 August 2026, please provide the number of occasions on which the MHRA took each of the following steps in relation to the advertising or promotion of a medicinal product indicated for weight loss or weight management, or of a service supplying such a product (e.g., Voy, Juniper etc): (a) issued a notice under the statutory determination procedure described in chapter 9 of the Blue Guide (that is, a notice informing a person that the MHRA is minded to make a determination, and inviting written representations); (b) made, or asked Health Ministers to make, a determination as to whether a breach of the advertising provisions of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 had occurred; (c) referred a matter to, or received an application to, an Independent Review Panel; (d) applied for, or sought counsel's advice on applying for, an injunction; (e) required or requested an advertiser to publish a corrective statement; (f) required an advertiser to submit future advertising to the MHRA for vetting; (g) referred a case to the MHRA's Inspection, Enforcement and Standards Division for consideration of legal action, as contemplated by Appendix 6 of the Blue Guide; (h) referred a case to another regulator, and if so to which regulator. Where the figure for any item is nil, please confirm that it is nil rather than omitting the item. If any part of this request would exceed the cost limit in section 12, please tell me which part, and I will narrow it. I would be grateful for your assistance under section 16 in identifying a form of the request that can be answered within the limit. If you consider any part of the information exempt, please disclose the remainder.

Response

See attached

Documents

• FOI2026_00960 (redacted).pdf (1.4 MB)

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