Singapore authorities now reviewing telemed providers’ ads for weight-loss drugs

SINGAPORE’S authorities are reviewing advertisements that telemedicine providers have put up for certain weight-loss drugs, while lawyers say that the providers could be in breach of a ban on advertisements of prescription-only medicines.

The telemedicine providers have put out ads for glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists, or GLP-1s, a class of drugs that are used to treat Type 2 diabetes but have gained attention for their effectiveness in aiding weight loss.

In response to queries, the Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority said that they are reviewing the ads flagged by The Business Times and will take “appropriate enforcement action if any contraventions are detected”.