Centre tightens checks on GLP-1 weight-loss drug promotion

The Centre has directed states and Union Territories to strengthen monitoring of the supply chain and promotion of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Regulators have also been asked to act against surrogate advertisements and misleading campaigns that encourage unsupervised use of prescription medicines

New Delhi: The Centre has directed drug regulators across states and Union Territories to tighten surveillance over the supply chain and promotion of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs amid concerns over surrogate advertising and misleading awareness campaigns.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists only for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in adults and for chronic weight management in adults with specified medical conditions.

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She said these medicines can be dispensed only on the prescription of endocrinologists or internal medicine specialists, and the approved product information carries warnings to prevent inappropriate use and minimise the risks associated with unsupervised consumption.

Responding to a question on whether advertisements for weight-loss drugs under the guise of “awareness” were crossing the line and whether GLP-1 drugs were being promoted through surrogate marketing, Patel said the CDSCO had issued an advisory on March 10, 2026, to manufacturers, importers and marketing authorisation holders.

The advisory directed them to strictly comply with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and ensure that the manufacture, sale and distribution of these drugs conform only to the approved indications and conditions of permission.

It specifically prohibits surrogate advertisements and any form of direct or indirect promotion, including disease awareness campaigns and digital outreach, that may mislead consumers or encourage the use of these prescription medicines without medical supervision, she said.

Patel said the CDSCO subsequently issued another advisory on March 27, 2026, to all state and UT drug controllers, asking them to strengthen regulatory monitoring of the entire supply chain of GLP-1-based weight-loss drugs.

The advisory also called for strict adherence to approved indications and product labelling, ensuring that the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of these drugs take place only through authorised channels.

State regulators were also directed to take action in cases involving product diversion, leakage into unauthorised supply chains and promotional practices influencing the supply chain, she said.

In addition, they were asked to monitor print, electronic, digital, social media and outdoor advertising platforms to identify non-compliant advertisements or surrogate promotional activities and initiate action under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act wherever violations are detected.