The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has warned companies advertising Kenalog injections on their websites and social media to stop doing so.

The regulator issued its warning after some companies were found to be showcasing the injections as a hay fever treatment. Kenalog injections are a prescription-only medicine which are not licensed for the treatment of hay fever in the UK and must not be directly or indirectly advertised to the public.

The Advertising Standards Authority and MHRA published an enforcement notice on Thursday making it clear that advertisers remove any direct references to Kenalog in the text as well as in images and hashtags in any social media promotions of hay fever services.

The ASA also said any “indirect references such as ‘hay fever injection’ and ‘hay fever jab’” should be avoided. If this has not been done by August 29, the ASA will remove the ads and refer anyone continuing to promote the injections to the MHRA for further action.

The ASA published rulings against beauty and aesthetics clinics that had advertised the injections for the treatment of hay fever, including Skincodes Aesthetics, Lucy Isabella Beauty and Aesthetics, Sarean Aesthetics, The Skin Clinic Faversham and Elite Aesthetic Clinic. Kenalog is the brand name for triamcinolone acetonide.

“Social media offers a powerful advertising tool for clinics but they must remain aware of the rules that surround it for medicines,” said Claire Tilstone, head of advertising at the MHRA.

“The advertising of prescription-only medicines in the UK is banned under UK advertising law and so clinics should now urgently review their websites and social media to ensure that they are not advertising the prescription-only medicine Kenalog, to avoid further enforcement action.

“We would urge anyone who sees a clinic advertising it, to report it either to the MHRA or the Advertising Standards Authority, and always to consult a qualified healthcare professional to discuss options for hay fever treatment.”