TikToker Drug Ads Spark Demands for FDA to Clarify Its Authority

The FDA is under scrutiny by federal lawmakers and regulatory attorneys who want clarity on the agency’s authority over social media influencers promoting prescription drugs without clear warnings on the risks.

Anti-obesity medications like Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound have grown in popularity due in part to social media influencers paid by telehealth providers and other companies to tout their successes with the medications. FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, when questioned about the growing popularity of these medications at a National Press Club event on Wednesday, claimed the agency doesn’t “regulate ...