Cofepris removes over 31,000 online ads for violating health regulations

Mexico's Federal Commission for the Protection from Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) has taken significant action against online health and product advertising, removing 31,155 advertisements from social media and e-commerce platforms in 2024.

This figure represents 84% of the 36,973 ads monitored by Cofepris, in collaboration with the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection and the Mexico City Secretariat of Citizen Security. The primary violations were found in advertisements for medications, with 16,819 removed, followed by food supplements, totaling 7,090.

Other categories with significant numbers of non-compliant ads included health services (3,428), beauty services (2,622), deceptive products (2,376), and medical devices (2,272). The monitoring also covered cosmetics, electronic cigarettes, and herbal remedies.

Cofepris specifically highlighted several products with a high number of illicit publications, including GLP-1 receptor agonists and metabolic treatments like Wegovy (159 ads), Tirzepatide (86), and Ozempic (60). Medical and aesthetic supplies such as Botox (115) and Testosterone (81) were also frequently flagged.

The majority of the removed ads originated from social media, with 24,275 taken down from Facebook, 5,117 from Instagram, and 2,500 from TikTok. E-commerce platforms also saw removals, with 1,263 posts taken down from Mercado Libre.