NMC Reminder: Advertising Prescription Medicines Could Lead to Sanctions
ACE Group members should be aware that the NMC has reinforced strict rules prohibiting the advertising of botulinum toxin and all other prescription‑only medicines (POMs). Nurses who breach these rules risk regulatory sanctions, including referral to Fitness to Practise and, in serious cases, removal from the register.
This summary is based on the RCNi report on NMC guidance.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has issued a renewed warning to all registrants following a reminder from the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). The message is clear: nurses must not advertise botulinum toxin or any other POMs to the public. This applies across all platforms, including websites, social media, printed materials, and paid promotions.
Why This Matters
Botulinum toxin is a prescription‑only medicine, and UK advertising law strictly prohibits promoting POMs directly to the public. The NMC has emphasised that breaching these rules is a professional conduct issue, not just a marketing mistake.
The same advertising restrictions apply not only to botulinum toxin, but to all prescription‑only medicines, including those commonly used in aesthetic and wellness settings. ALL ACE Group members must ensure they do not promote, name, or imply the availability of any POMs in public‑facing marketing.
What you must avoid
What you can do instead
Naming the POM (e.g., “Kenalog injections available”)
• Advertising vitamin injections or IV drips that contain POM ingredients
• Using hashtags or captions that reference the medicine directly
• Publishing price lists or treatment menus that include POM names
Provide general wellness or skin‑health information without naming the medicine
• Invite patients to book a consultation to discuss suitable treatment options
• Describe services in neutral terms, such as “vitamin therapy consultation” or “seasonal allergy assessment”
ACE Group members are reminded that the treatment of disease, disorder or injury (TDDI) is a regulated activity under the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England, and under the equivalent regulatory bodies in the devolved nations (HIS in Scotland, HIW in Wales, and RQIA in Northern Ireland).
This means that any service which involves diagnosing, treating, or managing a medical condition, including dermatological disease, allergy management, or therapeutic use of prescription‑only medicines, must only be carried out in a setting that is appropriately registered with the relevant regulator.
- Advertising Standards Authority (2024) Smoothing out the wrinkles of advertising Botox
- Committee of Advertising Practice (2024) Prescription for Compliance - POMs and the Code.
- Nursing Standard (2026) Nurses who advertise Botox could face sanctions.
- Care Quality Commission (2023) The scope of registration: Regulated activities.
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland (2023) Regulation of independent healthcare services.
- Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (2023) What we inspect.
- Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (2023) What we do.