Healthcare and medicines: Prescription drug services

We're 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 locations.

Google restricts the promotion of services related to the online prescribing, dispensation, and sale of prescription drugs. Businesses subject to this policy include but aren't limited to online pharmacies and telemedicine providers.

We determine whether an advertiser is promoting such services based on a number of factors, such as the content of your ads, 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 or to facilitate the online prescription, dispensation, or sale of medicines.

Locations

Google allows the promotion of some services related to prescription drugs in only these locations:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Check the location specifics of the Healthcare and medicines policy for details about the types of services that can be promoted and requirements in each location. Advertisers must be certified in order to serve ads for prescription drug services.

Keywords

Under this policy, Google allows certified advertisers to bid on keywords containing prescription drug terms in only the following locations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Apply for healthcare certification

Advertisers must be certified by Google in order to serve ads for prescription drug services. Refer to how to apply below. Certification requirements vary by location, so check the location-specific restrictions for every location where you plan to advertise.

Before applying, identify the specific type of healthcare certification required based on the services or products you advertise (for example, online pharmacy, telemedicine, health insurance, prescription drug manufacturer). For some certifications (for example, LegitScript, NABP for online pharmacies, G2 for health insurance), you may need to obtain third-party accreditation first.

1. Adhere to all location-specific requirements. If your campaign targets a location that isn't listed, then Google Ads doesn't allow the promotion of those products in that location. Make sure that your website is fully functional, globally accessible, and meets all policy requirements for your target region and the specific certification type. If your application is denied, carefully review the denial reason. It may be due to your website not meeting these criteria or containing terms (like prescription drug terms) which you are not certified. If so, make necessary changes and reapply, or reply to the rejection email with explanations if you believe it's an error.

2. For Health Insurance in the United States: Health insurance advertisers in the United States are required to be certified with G2RS before applying for Google Ads certification. Apply for G2RS Health Insurance Providers Certification first.

Advertisers registered with the US government to promote and sell Affordable Care Act-compliant health plans must obtain an additional certificate (applied for in the same Google Ads application) to promote and bid on ACA health insurance-related keywords.

3. Fill out the Google Ads online application form. Make sure applications are made at the child account level, not the MCC (Manager Account) level.

• Be sure to include your Google Ads customer ID (found at the top of your account pages) and the certified domain.
• Provide all requested information and any required documentation to avoid delays.
• If you are an agency applying on behalf of an advertiser, send documentation detailing your relationship with the advertiser or license holder.

Options to fix

If this policy is affecting your ad, review your options to fix below.

Apply for certification

If your ad was disapproved due to a missing Google certification and you meet the requirements, apply for certification. If you want to advertise in more than one location, submit a separate application for each location or group of locations.

Edit your ads to comply with this policy

Make sure that you’re only targeting locations that allow promotion of in-scope products and services and that you’re certified to advertise in all the locations you’re targeting. You can also choose a new landing page for your ad that complies with this policy.

1. Go to Ads within the Campaigns menu.
2. Hover over the ad or asset and select Edit.
3. Edit the ad or asset so that it complies with the policy.
4. Select Save. 

Your ad will be automatically reviewed again. Check the ad’s status in the “Ads & assets” page for updates.

Learn more about how to Fix an ad with policy violations.

Appeal policy decision

If you believe there’s been an error and that you haven’t violated Google Ads' policies, appeal the policy decision directly from your Google Ads account to request a review. If the review determines that your ads are compliant, they can run again. If you aren't able to fix these violations or choose not to, remove your ad to help prevent your account from becoming suspended in the future for repeated policy violations.