Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa has suspended advertising for Semavy, a semaglutide-based medicine used for type 2 diabetes and weight control, after identifying promotional material aimed at the general public. The measure applies to advertising, not to the product’s registration, sale or prescribed use.¹

The accounts converge on the central legal issue: Semavy is a prescription medicine, classified with a red warning label, and Brazilian law does not permit manufacturers to market such products directly to a mass audience. Advertising is instead limited to health professionals authorised to prescribe or dispense medicines.²

The Brazil Right source focuses on the scope of the enforcement action. It says the ban covered promotions on electronic screens at São Paulo’s Congonhas Airport, the brand’s website and social media, and cites Anvisa’s finding that the campaign breached the statutory prohibition on public advertising of prescription drugs. It also notes that Semavy’s approved indication is treatment of type 2 diabetes, despite its association with weight control.¹

The Brazil Left source places the ruling in a broader public-health context, arguing that restrictions are intended to prevent indiscriminate use of prescription medicines. It notes the rising popularity of so-called slimming pens and warns that use without medical supervision can bring adverse effects, including nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal complications.²

Both perspectives therefore distinguish between a marketing violation and a ban on the medicine itself. Hypera Pharma’s Cosmed unit, which is responsible for Semavy, said it was in dialogue with Anvisa, had already taken steps concerning the product line’s communications, and would adjust its messaging to comply with the agency’s determination.¹