TikTok To Ban Ozempic Videos Reviewing And Encouraging Use Of Diabetes Drug
Ozempic and other popular weight-loss drugs can no longer be marketed on TikTok next month.
The video-sharing platform has decided to crack down on influencers posting videos about Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and other similar drugs, and published new guidelines last week that effectively ban most weight loss-related content from TikTok beginning May 17.
The move comes amid a surge in people turning to TikTok for information about such drugs, resulting in an influx of influencers reviewing or promoting these weight-loss medications.
According to the new rules, influencers will no longer be allowed to post "before-and-after" transformations related to the use of Ozempic and other weight-loss products.
TikTok users below 18 will also be prohibited from viewing or sharing content that shows, describes and promotes "potentially harmful" weight management behaviors, including using weight-loss medications.
The new set of guidelines targeted content that is perceived as "promoting body types as ideal or perfect, when associated with potentially harmful weight management behaviors."
A number of influencers have since spoken out about the app's new rules, including Dave Knapp, who uses his TikTok account to share and discuss news about GLP-1 drugs, which help to lower blood sugar levels and promote weight loss.
In a TikTok video shared Friday, Knapp claimed that his videos were being taken down due to "community violations."
He slammed the policy change as "100% discrimination against people with obesity, people with type 2 diabetes, people with chronic conditions, people with health conditions."
"If someone with multiple sclerosis goes on and starts talking about their medicine are you going to shut them down too?" he added.
TikTok's new rules came as body-positive influencers called out influencer marketing companies and other agencies for offering them free weight-loss medications and trying to persuade them to promote such drugs on their accounts.
Virgie Tovar revealed in an interview with the Washington Post and a post on her Instagram in January that she and other influencers allegedly had been offered "free Ozempic for weight loss" and "as much as $2,000" each to praise the drug online.
She claimed that she had been getting such offers since 2023.
Ash Pryor, a plus-sized Peloton instructor, also posted an alleged screenshot of an email from a party offering her $1,500 worth of weight-loss medications in exchange for posting content.
"F**k all the way off!" Pryor wrote online in response to the alleged offer.
Sarah Chiwaya, a fashion blogger, told Yahoo News that she allegedly has been receiving similar emails from marketing company Patient Acquisition and other agencies since September 2023.
Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and other similar drugs skyrocketed in popularity in recent years after celebrities and influencers began using them for casual weight loss.
Oprah Winfrey, Sharon Osbourne, Whoopi Goldberg and Tracy Morgan were among the stars who have publicly said they shed pounds with the help of a weight-loss drug.
Ozempic and Wegovy are the brand names for semaglutide, but only the latter is FDA-approved for weight loss.
While it can also help people lose weight, Ozempic is approved by the FDA to manage blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
