I run an online pharmacy where we sell weight loss treatment plans in the UK.

We were recently approached by a social media influencer interested in helping us ‘sell’ Mounjaro to their followers.

This influencer has been pushing her Mounjaro weight loss journey to almost 5,000 of them.

The influencer was already linking to a large online pharmacy with a whopping 35% discount promotional code, but she wanted to move to us as our prices were still lower than the pharmacy she was promoting.

Read more: Wegovy: GPhC cracks down on POM discount codes after C+D exposé

We are one of the very few online pharmacies refusing to issue discount codes as we see it as an unethical way of selling medication. So, we were shocked to see how many online pharmacies were now using social media influencers to glamourise their weight loss journey to followers, while offering significant discounts.

It took only a five-minute internet search on TikTok to find several online pharmacies engaging in this practice.

This influencer told us that she “could promote your [our] page and weight-loss pen services directing my audience to buy from there. I get so many questions daily asking where to get it. In exchange for this I would get supply from you and promote on my page with a direct link.”

We refused the request as we do not condone such aggressive and deeply inappropriate behaviour. or pay social media users to advertise our offering. 

These influencers offer medical advice in their videos and the influencer who contacted us even showed how to break the Mounjaro pen to get residue liquid out of the pen (which would leave no one knowing what the dose would be!).

None of these videos can be controlled by the online pharmacy partnering with the influencer, and we cannot think of anything worse than regulators allowing this practice by turning a blind eye, or online pharmacies using any means possible to get orders at the expense of patient safety.

We all must do our part in ensuring that prescription medication is sold responsibly. But it is sad when members of our wonderful pharmacy community put profits over safety. I hope the GPHC takes firm action in stopping these practices and ensuring online pharmacies act responsibly in their marketing going forward.

This op-ed was written by an online pharmacist who has chosen to remain anonymous.