Government tightens surveillance on GLP-1 weight-loss drug promotion amidst surrogate advertising concerns

The Central government, amidst rising concerns over surrogate advertising and misleading awareness campaigns, directed regulators across states and Union Territories to tighten surveillance over the supply chain and promotion of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

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

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

The Minister, in a response 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, stated that CDSCO had issued an advisory on March 10, 2026, to manufacturers, importers and marketing authorisation holders.

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

In its advisory, CDSCO underscored the need for strict adherence to approved indications and product labelling to ensure that manufacture, import, distribution and sale 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.

Additionally, the regulators 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 against violations under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.