Healthcare and medicines: Pharmaceutical manufacturers

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.

Prescription drugs

Pharmaceutical manufacturers may promote prescription drugs in the following locations:

• Canada
• New Zealand
• United States

Pharmaceutical manufacturers may not promote prescription opioid painkillers.

Over-the-counter medicines

• 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 locations only:

• Canada
• United States

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.

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 Campaignsmenu.
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.