Health Update: Consumer Demands in the Health and Wellness – What Experts Say

Recent UK enforcement shows a sharp clampdown on the promotion of weight loss injections, with the ASA and MHRA heavily targeting ads that directly or indirectly reference prescription only medicines, while simultaneously tightening the rules for food and supplement advertisers to prevent implied medicinal claims, particularly where products (such as “healthy” or portion controlled ready meals) are marketed in the context of GLP 1 style weight loss regimes. 

Looking ahead to 2026, we can expect even stricter controls as the new Less Healthy Food & Drink advertising restrictions come into force on 5 January 2026, significantly limiting paid online and pre watershed TV advertising and increased scrutiny of wellness adjacent marketing as demand for weight loss medicines continues to rise and regulators adapt their frameworks to influencer driven and telehealth led promotion models.

Therefore, Brands must therefore carefully navigate advertising rules, especially where wellness claims risk crossing into regulated medicinal claims. Also, with the growing use of biological data and personalised tools, regulatory compliance is essential to maintain trust with consumers and avoid penalties.

For more insights, watch our Advertising & Marketing webinars, including our recent Wellness Claims webinar. This is particularly relevant for those marketing medicines, devices, food, drinks, cosmetics, and therapies in the wellness space. 

Additionally, the remaining restrictions on the advertising and promotion of Less Healthy Foods were implemented in January 2026. Check out our legal update on this topic for more details here.