6 Google Ads and YouTube policy rules bear on drug and device marketing

Platform rules are about ad approval and account risk, not law, and policies change. These are the Google Ads and YouTube rules whose wording is about prescription drugs, devices, approval and clearance claims and side effects. They run when Google Ads and YouTube is selected in the checker.

1. CG-PLT-003 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Google limits services that prescribe, dispense or sell prescription drugs online. Advertisers must apply, and online pharmacies and telemedicine providers in the United States need accreditation (NABP or LegitScript) and Google certification. An ad that sells a named prescription drug online without that is likely to be disapproved.

   Source: Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy (prescription drug services, unauthorized pharmacies, United States); Google Ads Prescription drug services policy

   Safer wording: Advertise the clinical service and who decides on treatment. Get Google healthcare certification and LegitScript or NABP accreditation before naming a prescription drug.

   Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, Google Ads Prescription drug services policy

2. CG-PLT-005 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Selling prescription drugs online without a prescription, from foreign suppliers, or for crypto payment violates drug-sale laws and every major ad platform's rules.

   Source: FDCA 503(b); Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy; Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals

   Safer wording: Offer a clinical service in which a licensed clinician decides whether to prescribe, and fill prescriptions only through licensed US pharmacies.

   Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy · Needs counsel review

3. CG-PLT-010 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Pharmacy ads need proof of third-party certification. TikTok asks for NABP or LegitScript proof, Snap requires online pharmacies to be registered and, in the United States, NABP verified, Google allows US online pharmacies only with accreditation and Google certification, and Meta requires online pharmacies to be certified by LegitScript and authorized by Meta. X, Reddit, Yahoo and Nextdoor ask for NABP (or LegitScript) accreditation, LinkedIn and Microsoft require prior authorization or preapproval, and Amazon Ads accepts online pharmacies only in the US with NABP registration and not as display ads in its store.

   Source: TikTok Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals ad policy (United States, pharmacies); Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health (online pharmacy); Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy (United States); Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals; LinkedIn Advertising Policies; X Ads healthcare policy; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Yahoo Ad Policy, Pharmacies

   Safer wording: Get NABP, .Pharmacy or LegitScript certification and the platform's own approval before the ad runs, and name the licensed pharmacy.

   Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals, Nextdoor Ads Policy, Yahoo Ad Policy, Pharmacies, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, TikTok Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals ad policy, Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health, LinkedIn Advertising Policies, X Ads healthcare policy

4. CG-PLT-017 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Google does not allow products that imply they are as effective as prescription drugs or controlled substances, products with ephedra, or hCG promoted for weight loss or weight control. Amazon, Microsoft, Reddit and Yahoo bar claims that a non-prescription or supplement product is as effective as, or can replace, a prescription drug, and Meta, Reddit and Yahoo list ephedra or hCG among unsafe ingredients.

   Source: Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy (unapproved substances); Meta Advertising Standards, Unsafe substances; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Yahoo Ad Policy, Over the counter drugs

   Safer wording: Describe what the product is and what it contains, without comparing it to a prescription drug, and drop ephedra and hCG weight-loss wording.

   Meta Advertising Standards, Unsafe substances, Yahoo Ad Policy, Over the counter drugs, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy

5. CG-PLT-020 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Telehealth and telemedicine ads are gated. Google allows telemedicine providers only with LegitScript certification plus Google certification, and Meta requires telehealth providers that promote prescription drugs to be LegitScript certified and authorized. LinkedIn allows telehealth only in the United States with prior authorization, X allows licensed providers only in the states where they are licensed and with prior authorization, Reddit asks for industry certifications and a sales representative, Microsoft preapproves telemedicine providers that sell prescription drugs, and Amazon Ads does not accept telemedicine as display ads in its store.

   Source: Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, additional sections; Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals; LinkedIn Advertising Policies; X Ads healthcare policy; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy; LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification

   Safer wording: Get LegitScript certification if you prescribe or sell prescription drugs, then ask each platform for its telehealth authorization before the ad runs, and name only the states where you are licensed.

   Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals, LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, additional sections, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, LinkedIn Advertising Policies, X Ads healthcare policy

6. CG-PLT-031 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text

   Meta's Business Tools Terms bar sharing Business Tool Data that includes or is based on health information, and say the names and criteria of events and conversions must not reflect or imply it. Google's customer data policies bar using conversions tied to health or medical information, such as purchases of medical services or prescription drugs, for enhanced conversions or store sales uploads. Tracking tags on clinic sites can also be a HIPAA problem.

   Source: Meta Business Tools Terms (Business Tool Data); Google Ads Customer data policies

   Safer wording: Do not send events whose name or data reveals a condition, a prescription or a patient status. Measure at the level of the campaign, with no health detail.

   Meta Business Tools Terms, Google Ads Customer data policies · Needs counsel review

None of our sample wording triggers a Google Ads and YouTube rule, so no example is shown. The rules above are still part of the set.

63 federal and general rules matched to drug and device marketing run next to the Google Ads and YouTube ones. The ones that weigh most:

1. CG-ABS-003 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Claims of no risk or no side effects are unsubstantiated safety claims.

   Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; 21 CFR 202.1 (prescription drug advertising, fair balance)

   Safer wording: State known risks and side effects fairly, or say who should talk to a clinician first.

   21 CFR 202.1 · Needs counsel review

2. CG-ABS-012 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Zero-risk, zero-pain and no-downside claims are absolute safety claims. Every treatment has risks, and they must be disclosed fairly.

   Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; 21 CFR 202.1

   Safer wording: Describe the known risks and side effects, or say where they are explained, in place of claiming there are none.

   21 CFR 202.1 · Needs counsel review

3. CG-DIS-028 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Comparing a supplement to a GLP-1 prescription drug ("natural Mounjaro", "mimics Ozempic") claims drug-like effects on weight and blood sugar and implies the product does what an approved drug does.

   Source: FDCA 201(g)(1); 21 CFR 101.93(g); FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance

   Safer wording: Do not name or compare to a prescription drug. Describe the ingredients.

   21 CFR 101.93(g) · Needs counsel review

4. CG-RAF-002 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text

   Discounting and price-led promotion of prescription weight-loss treatment, such as sales events and rock-bottom prices, markets a prescription drug as a commodity and invites purchase without a clinical assessment.

   Source: 21 CFR 202.1 (prescription drug advertising); FDA warning letters to telehealth firms on compounded GLP-1 marketing; FTC Act section 5. UK ASA rulings are the origin of the pattern but UK law is out of scope.

   Safer wording: Do not use sales or lowest-price framing for prescription weight-loss treatment. State that treatment depends on a clinician assessment and describe fees plainly.

   21 CFR 202.1 · Needs counsel review

Everything for the industry is on the drug and device marketing page, and all Google Ads and YouTube rules for any industry are on the Google Ads and YouTube page.