The trend: A growing number of telehealth players are advertising access to weight loss drug prescriptions through online and out-of-home ads, targeting consumers seeking the shots for cosmetic use, per Bloomberg.

Some companies use “microdosing” as a marketing hook to attract consumers who may not qualify for GLP-1s through their regular doctor because they aren’t overweight. For instance, a social media ad from virtual care company Willow Health reads, “PSA for the girls: You don’t need to be obese to start a GLP-1,” per Bloomberg. And online weight loss program Fridays markets GLP-1 prescriptions as a way to slim down before a wedding.

For context, GLP-1s are not FDA-approved for people whose BMI isn’t at least 27, and manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly object to telehealth companies promoting unauthorized microdosed versions to consumers.

Why it matters: Prominent telehealth companies such as Hims & Hers and Noom are now offering prescription microdoses of compounded GLP-1s. However, it’s mostly smaller players that are actively marketing these lower doses to patients who aren’t overweight. The FDA requires that prescription drugs be advertised only for their approved uses, but the regulator has been unable to keep up with the wave of online GLP-1 ads from telehealth firms—and the influencer posts many of them pay for.

It’s worth noting that microdosing GLP-1s may help patients who need the medication but benefit from lower doses to reduce side effects or improve long-term tolerability. However,doctors warn of health risks for people using weight loss drugs without meeting clinical criteria or whose treatment regimen isn’t overseen by a physician. The Bloomberg piece cited a model-celebrity who microdosed GLP-1s, then increased her dose to lose more weight, only to suffer side effects so severe she was found unconscious in a bathtub.

Implications for companies offering GLP-1 prescriptions: Many healthcare companies in the weight loss drug space are betting that marketing GLP-1s for unapproved uses won’t draw scrutiny. Up until now, it’s arguably been a worthwhile gamble, thanks to scant FDA oversight of non-pharma manufacturers and being able to cash in on the lucrative GLP-1 market.

However, federal regulators are starting to crack down on telehealth platforms for their compounded GLP-1 ads. So far, the FDA and FTC have targeted companies claiming their copycat weight loss drugs are the same as brand-name versions and that allegedly mislead consumers with misrepresented products and reviews. These actions could signal that the feds will next go after entities that advertise GLP-1s for unapproved uses, such as for cosmetic purposes.