Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help center for additional restrictions.
Google Ads is dedicated to following advertising regulations for healthcare and medicine, so ads and destinations are expected to follow appropriate laws and industry standards. Some types of healthcare-related content can’t be advertised at all, while others can only be advertised in certain locations by advertisers who have applied and been approved to advertise those products or services using Google Ads.
Learn more about the Healthcare and medicines policy.
On this page
Google doesn't allow the promotion of certain products, regardless of any claims of legality:
- All items on this non-exhaustive list of unapproved 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
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) products, except in campaigns targeting the United States
For additional information on the unapproved or misleading pharmaceuticals and supplements monitored by Google Ads, refer to LegitScript.
Apply to advertise Cannabidiol (CBD)
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pharmaceutical CBD advertisers are required to apply for CBD Ads Certification.
Location targeting is limited to California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico, and certain ad formats like YouTube Masthead aren’t eligible to serve ads related to CBD.
If you’re a non-pharmaceutical, topical CBD advertiser in a location that allows CBD promotions, apply for certification with LegitScript before you submit the Google Ads CBD Ads Certification application. To help prevent unnecessary delays, be sure to provide all of the requested information.
Options to fix
If this policy is affecting your ad, review your options to fix below.
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.
- Go to Ads within the Campaigns
menu.
- Hover over the ad or asset and select Edit.
- Edit the ad or asset so that it complies with the policy.
- 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.