The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertorial for health platform Zava that appeared on Mumsnet’s website for promoting prescription-only medicines to the public. The ASA ruled it failed to make clear it was a marketing communication. The ruling forms part of wider ASA enforcement work on prescription-only medicines used for weight loss.

The ASA investigated an advertorial accessed from an image in Mumsnet’s website carousel featuring a woman and two children. The content, headlined as “an expert guide” to “Everything you need to know about medically supervised weight management,” was written by a Mumsnet Senior Content Editor described as someone who “commissions, writes and edits content designed to help parents navigate real life.”

Although the advertorial contained small text stating “CREATED BY ZAVA” together with Zava’s logo, the ASA concluded this did not make sufficiently clear that the piece was a marketing communication. The article did not contain any label or identifier such as “advertisement feature” to make clear upfront that it was an advertisement, either in the thumbnail that linked to the article or in the article itself.

The advertorial quoted Dr Clair Grainger, described as a Clinical Lead doctor with Zava who had worked in hospitals throughout Edinburgh and London. Her statements included references to “prescription-only medications” and “medically supervised route” for weight management. The ASA concluded the quotes constituted an endorsement of medicines by a health professional, which breached advertising rules.

The ruling ordered that the advertisement must not appear again in its current form. Both Zava and Mumsnet were told that future marketing communications must be obviously identifiable as such, and that healthcare professionals must not be used to endorse prescription-only medicines. The ASA noted Zava had removed the advertorial following the investigation.