Healthcare and medicines

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We are dedicated to following advertising regulations for healthcare and medicine, so we expect that ads and destinations follow appropriate laws and industry standards. Some healthcare-related content can't be advertised at all, while others can only be advertised if the advertiser is certified with Google and targets only approved countries. Check local regulations for the areas you want to target.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers

Google allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to advertise in select countries only.

Prescription drugs

Pharmaceutical manufacturers may promote prescription drugs in the following countries only: Canada, New Zealand, United States. Pharmaceutical manufacturers may not promote prescription opioid painkillers.

Over-the-counter medicines

Pharmaceutical manufacturers may promote over-the-counter medicines in the following countries only: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Other manufacturers and suppliers

Bulk drug manufacturers, medical professional suppliers, and antibody/peptide/compound suppliers for commercial labs may advertise in the following countries only: Canada, United States

Certification

Pharmaceutical manufacturers must be certified by Google in order to serve ads. See how to apply below.

Unauthorized pharmacies

The following is not allowed:

red x markOffering prescription drugs without a prescription

red x markTargeting locations where you are not licensed

We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious. An egregious violation of the Google Ads policies is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether an advertiser or destination is violating this policy, we may review information from multiple sources including your ad, website, accounts, and third-party sources.  If we find violations of this policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven't violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. We only reinstate accounts in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest. Learn more about suspended accounts.

Prescription drug sale

Google restricts the promotion of online pharmacies. To determine whether an advertiser is promoting an online pharmacy, we consider a number of factors such as the content of your ads and site or app, as well as the products or services that you offer. For user safety and other reasons, we err on the side of caution in applying this policy, especially for landing pages that link or refer to content that in any way appears to be the online sale of medicines, whether prescription or over-the-counter medicine.

Countries

Google allows the promotion of online pharmacies in only these countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Google does not allow the promotion of online pharmacies in other countries.

Keywords

Google allows online pharmacy advertisers to bid on keywords containing prescription drug terms in only the following countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, United Kingdom, and United States.

Certification

Online pharmacies must be certified by Google in order to serve ads — see how to apply below. To be certified with Google, online pharmacies must be registered with the relevant pharmaceutical authorities in the countries that their ad campaign targets.

Restricted drug terms

In most parts of the world, Google doesn't allow the use of prescription drug terms in ad text, landing pages, keywords, or source code of a web page.

  • For campaigns targeting Canada, New Zealand, or the United States, certain businesses such as online pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers may use prescription drug terms in ad text and landing pages. While you do not need to be certified in order to serve your ads, you must be certified in order to keyword target prescription drug terms.  These businesses must be certified by Google in order to serve ads — see how to apply below.
  • If your campaigns do not target Canada, New Zealand, or the United States, you may not use prescription drug terms in ad text or landing pages.
  • In limited cases, and where permitted by local law, Google allows exceptions to this policy for public health and safety awareness campaigns from governmental or well-established non-profit health advocacy organizations. If you would like to apply for such an exception to use prescription drug terms in ad text, landing pages, keywords, or source code of a web page, please contact us.

See a non-exhaustive list of prescription drugs or active ingredients that are monitored under this policy.

Troubleshooter: Restricted drug term

Your ad, website, or app is promoting prescription drugs, and that isn't allowed for at least one country that your campaign targets.

Remove all references to prescription drugs and steroids from your ad and website or app. Alternatively, you can change your location targeting for your campaigns to target only countries where this service is allowed. See the section above for more detail around country-specific restrictions for the countries that you're targeting.

Unapproved substances

Google doesn't allow the promotion of the following content, irrespective of any claims of legality:

  • All items on this non-exhaustive list of prohibited pharmaceuticals and supplements
  • Products that contain ephedra
  • Products containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in relation to weight loss or weight control, or when promoted in conjunction with anabolic steroids
  • Herbal and dietary supplements with active pharmaceutical or dangerous ingredients
  • Products that imply they are as effective as prescription drugs or controlled substances
  • Non-government approved products that are marketed in a way that implies that they're safe or effective for use in preventing, curing, or treating a particular disease or ailment
  • Products that have been subject to any government or regulatory action or warning
  • Products with names that are confusingly similar to an unapproved pharmaceutical or supplement or controlled substance

Google does not allow the promotion of DHEA products anywhere except the United States, and Google does not allow the promotion of Melatonin products anywhere except Canada and the United States.

For additional information on the unapproved or misleading pharmaceuticals and supplements that we monitor, please visit www.legitscript.com.

Troubleshooter: Unapproved substances
  1. Fix the ad's destination. Remove any references to the substances prohibited by this policy. If you can't fix the ad's destination, update the ad with a new destination that complies with this policy.

  2. Edit the ad. Remove any content that we don't allow. If your ad already complies with the policy but you made changes to the ad's destination, edit the ad and save it. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review.

    Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.

Troubleshooter: DHEA or Melatonin

Target a different location. If your ad meets the basic policy requirements but not those for the countries that your campaign targets, you can choose to edit your location targeting to run your ads somewhere else where they do meet our requirements. Once you target your campaign only to acceptable locations, please request a review of your disapproved ads, and we'll check if they can start running:
Request a review

Or, if it's important to keep targeting your existing locations, follow the steps below to make your ad and destination comply.

  1. Fix the ad's destination. Remove any references to the substances prohibited by this policy. If you can't fix the ad's destination, update the ad with a new destination that complies with this policy.

  2. Edit the ad. Remove any content that we don't allow. If your ad already complies with the policy but you made changes to the ad's destination, edit the ad and save it. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review.

    Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.

Prescription opioid painkillers

Google does not allow ads for prescription opioid painkillers except for those that are intended for use as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder and meet all other requirements pertaining to prescription drugs listed on this page.

In limited cases, and where permitted by local law, Google allows exceptions to this policy for (a) public health and safety awareness campaigns from governmental or well-established non-profit health advocacy organizations, (b) ads for non-opioid pharmaceuticals that only refer to prescription opioids in their safety information, and (c) certified addiction treatment providers in the United States.

If you would like to apply for such an exception, please contact us.

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.

Speculative and experimental medical treatment, cell therapies, and gene therapies

Except as provided below in relation to the promotion of cell or gene therapies in the United States, the following is not allowed:

 Promotion of speculative and/or experimental medical treatments.

Examples (non-exhaustive): Biohacking, do-it-yourself (DIY) genetic engineering products, gene therapy kits

 Promotion of cell or gene therapies, subject to the exception below.

Examples (non-exhaustive): Stem cell therapy, cellular (non-stem) therapy, gene therapy and similar forms of regenerative medicine, platelet rich plasma

In the United States, Google allows the promotion of FDA licensed or approved cell or gene therapies by entities that hold the relevant FDA license or approval to market that product.  If you would like to apply for such an exception, please contact us.

 Google allows ads for cell or gene therapies that are exclusively educational or informational in nature, regardless of regulatory approval status.

Examples (non-exhaustive): Academic papers, tickets for medical conferences

Learn how to fix a disapproved ad.

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.

Clinical trial recruitment

Google doesn't allow the promotion of clinical trial recruitment except in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.

Promotions for clinical trial recruitment may not promote prescription drugs or create misleading expectations or effects of a product being tested, or imply that the product being tested is safe.

Troubleshooter: Clinical trial recruitment

Target a different location. If your ad meets the basic policy requirements but not those for the countries that your campaign targets, you can choose to edit your location targeting to run your ads somewhere else where they do meet our requirements. Once you target your campaign only to acceptable locations, please request a review of your disapproved ads, and we'll check if they can start running:
Request a review

Or, if it's important to keep targeting your existing locations, follow the steps below to make your ad and site or app comply.

  1. Fix the ad's destination. Remove any references to the substances prohibited by this policy. If you can't fix the ad's destination, update the ad with a new destination that complies with this policy.

  2. Edit the ad. Remove any content that we don't allow. If your ad already complies with the policy but you made changes to the ad's destination, edit the ad and save it. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review.

    Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.

HIV home tests

Google prohibits the promotion of HIV home tests everywhere in the world except in the United States, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, advertisers may promote home HIV tests that are FDA approved. In France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom advertisers may promote home HIV tests that meet local regulatory requirements.

Troubleshooter: HIV home tests

Target a different location. If your ad meets the basic policy requirements but not those for the countries that your campaign targets, you can choose to edit your location targeting to run your ads somewhere else where they do meet our requirements. Once you target your campaign only to acceptable locations, please request a review of your disapproved ads, and we'll check if they can start running:
Request a review

Or, if it's important to keep targeting your existing locations, follow the steps below to make your ad and site or app comply.

  1. Fix the ad's destination. Remove any references to the substances prohibited by this policy. If you can't fix the ad's destination, update the ad with a new destination that complies with this policy.

  2. Edit the ad. Remove any content that we don't allow. If your ad already complies with the policy but you made changes to the ad's destination, edit the ad and save it. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review.

    Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.

Abortion

Countries

The following is not allowed:

red x mark Abortion ads in the following countries:

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea (South), Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saint Barthelemy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen

Google Ads Network restrictions

If your ads target one or more locations where abortion ads are not allowed, they will be classified as Eligible (limited), meaning they will only show in approved areas, and there may be additional restrictions for your country. See the country-specific sections below for more information about how policies differ by country.

Abortion-related ads won't appear on the Google Display Network, even if they are Eligible (limited).

Abortion advertiser certification and disclosure requirements

In the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland, if you want to run ads using queries related to getting an abortion, you will first need to be certified as an advertiser that either provides abortions or does not provide abortions.

Depending on how you're certified, Google will automatically generate one of the following in-ad disclosures for your abortion product or service ads: "Provides abortions" or "Does not provide abortions." This applies to all Search ad formats.

Learn more about the policy and how to apply for certification.

Troubleshooter: Abortion advertiser certification and disclosures

  1. In the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland, if you want to run ads using keywords related to getting an abortion, you will first need to be certified as an advertiser that either provides abortions or does not provide abortions.

  2. Contact us to have your ad reviewed again, or edit the ad. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review. Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.

  3. If you're unable to complete the verification process, remove any keywords related to getting an abortion.

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account. Learn more about suspended accounts.

Birth control

Google doesn't allow ads related to birth control or fertility products in the following countries: Bahrain, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territory, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Troubleshooter: Birth control

Target a different location. If your ad meets the basic policy requirements but not those for the countries that your campaign targets, you can choose to edit your location targeting to run your ads somewhere else where they do meet our requirements. Once you target your campaign only to acceptable locations, please request a review of your disapproved ads, and we'll check if they can start running:
Request a review

Or, if it's important to keep targeting your existing locations, follow the steps below to make your ad and site or app comply.

  1. Fix the ad's destination. Remove any references to the substances prohibited by this policy. If you can't fix the ad's destination, update the ad with a new destination that complies with this policy.

  2. Edit the ad. Remove any content that we don't allow. If your ad already complies with the policy but you made changes to the ad's destination, edit the ad and save it. This will resubmit the ad and its destination for review.

    Most ads are reviewed within 1 business day, though some can take longer if they need a more complex review.

Addiction services

Google restricts advertising for recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services.

Examples of recovery-oriented addiction services: Clinical addiction treatment providers, recovery support services like sober living environments and mutual help organizations, lead generators or referral agencies for addiction services, crisis hotlines for drug and alcohol addiction

Countries
Google only allows ads for addiction services in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Google does not allow ads for addiction services in other countries.
Keywords
Google allows only addiction services advertisers to bid on keywords relating to drug and alcohol addiction.
Certification
Addiction services advertisers must be certified by Google in order to serve ads. Check the country-specific requirements under How does this policy differ from country to country? See how to apply below.

Health Insurance

In the United States, you must be certified by Google in order to advertise health and medical insurance coverage, with the exception of government advertisers, who will be pre-approved. Advertisements exclusively for dental, vision, and/or travel health insurance coverage are not restricted.

Examples of health and medical insurance coverage: individual health insurance, short-term insurance, limited-duration insurance, fixed indemnity health insurance, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, Medicaid.

Health and medical insurance advertisers, other than government advertisers, must be certified by Google in order to serve ads in the United States. This certification is required for all ad formats and assets. Check the requirements for the United States under How does this policy differ from country to country? See how to apply below.

Apply for healthcare products and services certification

Certain advertisers — such as online pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and others looking to use prescription drug terms in ad text or landing pages or health insurance advertisers in the United States — need to be certified with Google in order to advertise. If you are such an advertiser, here's how to apply to be certified:

1. Adhere to all country-specific requirements below. If your campaign targets a country that isn't listed, then we don't allow the promotion of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines by pharmaceutical manufacturers in that country.

2. Fill out our online application form.

  • Please be sure to include your Google Ads customer ID, located at the top of your account pages.
  • To cut down on any unnecessary delays, be sure to fill out all of the requested information.
  • If you are an agency applying on behalf of an advertiser, please send documentation detailing your relationship with the advertiser or license holder.

How does this policy differ from country to country?

In addition to the content-based restrictions above, there may be further requirements based on the countries that your campaign targets. Choose a country below to see additional requirements that you must meet in order for your ad campaign to target that country.

Troubleshooting a disapproval

If your ad is disapproved for violating this policy, try reviewing the following tips to help resolve your issue:

Disapproval reason What does it mean? What do I do now?
Online pharmacy certification required Your ad, website, or app is promoting prescription drugs or related products but your account isn't certified by Google. Remove all references to promoting prescription drugs from your ad and website or app. Alternately, if you're a licensed online pharmacy, you can be certified with Google — see how to apply above.
Targeting does not match policy Your ad, website, or app is promoting prescription drugs or related products, and even though your account is certified by Google, your ad is targeting a country outside the country that you were certified for. Remove all references to promoting prescription drugs online from your ad and website or app. Alternatively, you can change your location targeting for your campaigns to match the country where you're certified to advertise your pharmacy. See the section above for more detail around country-specific restrictions for the countries that you're targeting.
URL does not match online pharmacy certification Your ad, website, or app is promoting prescription drugs or related products, and even though your account is certified by Google, the website or app that the ad promotes doesn't match the one that's certified by Google. Remove all references to promoting prescription drugs online from your ad and website. Alternatively, you can change your ad to promote the website or app that was submitted in your certification request. If you'd like to use a new website or app as an online pharmacy, it must also be certified with Google — see how to apply above.
OTC drugs license number required Your ad, website, or app is promoting over-the-counter drugs without a license number, and that's not allowed for at least one country that your campaign targets. Remove all references to over-the-counter drugs without a license number from your ad and website or app. Alternatively, you can change your location targeting for your campaigns to target only countries where this service is allowed. See the section above for more detail around country-specific restrictions for the countries that you're targeting.
Prescription drug targeting Your ad, website, or app is promoting prescription drugs, and that isn't allowed for at least one country that your campaign targets. Remove all references to prescription drugs and steroids from your ad and website or app. Alternatively, you can change your location targeting for your campaigns to target only countries where this service is allowed. See the section above for more detail around country-specific restrictions for the countries that you're targeting.

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