Web sites promoting prescriptions for weight reduction medicine through an internet quiz might discover themselves in sizzling water from Australia’s drugs regulator.
Australian-based web sites similar to Juniper and Mosh marketed their companies by way of social media and on-line advertisements.
Juniper advertises a “new each day remedy” that may “overhaul starvation hormones” for “simply $13 a day”.
Customers are directed to take a quiz answering questions on their well being, drugs, peak and weight.
The quiz is then checked by a physician, the person receives an electronic mail about whether or not they have been profitable and the burden loss injectable drug Saxenda is mailed to their house.
That is accomplished with out talking to or seeing a physician.
The Mosh web site has an analogous course of.
The Therapeutic Items Administration on Tuesday stopped wanting confirming it was investigating the legality of internet sites like Juniper and Mosh promoting the drugs.
Federal legal guidelines prohibit the promoting of drugs to shoppers.
“Whereas we can’t touch upon ongoing investigations that might end in compliance motion, we’re working with a number of digital platforms together with TikTok, Instagram, Fb, eBay, Amazon and Gumtree amongst others, to stop and take away illegal promoting of therapeutic items,” a spokesman stated in a press release.
“The Juniper and Mosh weight reduction companies elevate a lot of concerns, together with whether or not the fabric immediately or not directly promotes the use or provide of therapeutic items, whether or not they promote a well being service as an alternative or whether or not they elevate any medical apply points.”
The TGA spokesman did verify it has been responding to allegations of illegal promoting of a gaggle of prescription-only medicines for weight reduction since early 2022.
From 1 July 2022 to 2 March 2023, the TGA has requested the removing of greater than 3,500 ads of weight reduction drugs together with Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide), Trulicity (duaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide).
The injectable remedy is taken as soon as a day and works by making people really feel fuller and fewer hungry.
There are strict guidelines in Australia towards prescribing Ozempic and different diabetes medicine for weight reduction.
Saxenda is accredited by the TGA to assist with weight reduction.
Royal Australian Faculty of Normal Practitioners chair of the Particular Curiosity Weight problems Administration Group Terri-Lynne South stated the flexibility to purchase prescription drugs on a one-way on-line kind was doubtlessly harmful.
“There are many potential potholes – it depends on the affected person’s skills to know their very own well being,” Dr South informed AAP on Tuesday.
“They have to be proactive, sincere – as a result of it does not appear to be a two-way communication the place the physician can truly be clarifying any issues.”
Dr South stated these eager to drop some pounds ought to seek the advice of their GP who is aware of of their very own medical historical past in addition to household historical past.
They will additionally present different choices to assist drop some pounds as a extra holistic method, she stated.
The Medical Board of Australia has carried out a public session on revising its pointers about telehealth consultations with sufferers.
AAP contacted each Mosh and Juniper for remark.
