Tesco Pharmacy has been named by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after promoting prescription-only medicines (POMs) for weight loss.
The regulator said yesterday that Tesco Pharmacy, along with The Harper Clinic and Davies Pharmacy Havant of Southdowns Pharmacy Group, had “amended their advertising following MHRA action on complaints” about the promotion of weight loss POMs to the public.
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Advertising regulations prohibit the promotion of POMs to the public in the UK, meaning it is against the law to the advertise or market prescription-only weight loss drugs.
The MHRA said this includes “indirect references to weight loss injections or GLP-1 medication likely to lead a member of the public to request a POM”.
It added that the decision published yesterday “relates to specific advertising action taken on a particular date and is no endorsement of the ongoing practices” of the companies.
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It comes after Tesco’s 2026 sustainability report revealed that its UK pharmacies see “500,000 customers” per week.
And it follows a joint statement made last month by the Advertising Standards Authority, General Pharmaceutical Council and the MHRA warning businesses against advertising newly approved GLP-1s and POMs.