Telehealth and weight-loss programs / Google Ads and YouTube
4 Google Ads and YouTube policy rules bear on telehealth and weight-loss programs
4 rules come from Google Ads and YouTube policy and match the wording telehealth and weight-loss programs use. 1 of them name only Google Ads and YouTube. The rest are shared with the policies of Amazon Ads, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Microsoft Advertising (Bing). None of them block approval; all 4 warn. Of the 13 platforms with a page for this industry, it has the 7th most rules.
What Google Ads and YouTube policy adds
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 remote prescribing, compounded drugs and weight-loss claims. They run when Google Ads and YouTube is selected in the checker.
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
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
CG-PLT-018 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Google does not allow claims that entice the user with an improbable result as the likely outcome, and YouTube ads may not carry exaggerated or inaccurate claims. Meta bars claims of unrealistic results within specific timeframes. Microsoft, Amazon and Taboola bar a specific amount or rate of weight loss in a defined period.
Source: Google Ads Misrepresentation policy (unreliable claims); YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements (exaggerated or inaccurate claims); Meta Advertising Standards, Unrealistic outcomes; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy; Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy
Safer wording: Drop the timeframe and the number. Describe the service and what a clinician will assess.
Meta Advertising Standards, Unrealistic outcomes, Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy, Google Ads Misrepresentation policy, YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements
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
What the checker flags with Google Ads and YouTube selected
Sample wording we wrote, run through the engine with Google Ads and YouTube selected. Only samples where a Google Ads and YouTube rule fires are shown.
Same active ingredient as Wegovy. Lose 20 pounds in 30 days, guaranteed.
- Blocks approval
CG-REG-006Also matches CG-RFA-006, CG-TRI-008Compounded drugs are not FDA approved and are not the same as, or generics of, the brand product. Telehealth sellers have received FDA warning letters for these claims.
Source. FDCA 503A and 503B; FDA warning letters to telehealth firms on compounded GLP-1 marketing; FTC Act section 5
Safer wording. Say the medication is compounded, that it is not FDA approved, and that a licensed clinician decides whether it is appropriate.
- Blocks approval
CG-TRL-007Also matches CG-PLT-018, CG-ABS-007Promising effortless fat loss, fixed amounts of weight lost in a short time, or eating without restriction while losing weight is an unsubstantiated and misleading weight-loss claim.
Source. FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance (2022); FTC weight-loss advertising enforcement (e.g. Operation Big Fat Lie, Red Flag guidance on weight-loss claims)
Safer wording. Remove claims of effortless or rapid loss. Say that results vary and depend on diet, activity and medical supervision, and cite evidence for any number.
- Warning
CG-ABS-001Outcome guarantees are unsubstantiated absolute claims.
Source. FTC Act section 5, 15 U.S.C. 45; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance
Safer wording. Remove the guarantee. If you offer a refund policy, describe the policy ("30-day refund if you are not satisfied") instead of guaranteeing results.
Reverse your diabetes with our GLP-1 program.
- Blocks approval
CG-DIS-004Also matches CG-TRA-001, CG-TRE-001, CG-TRI-001, CG-TRK-004, CG-DIS-016, CG-PLT-013Claiming to reverse a disease or its damage is an efficacy and disease claim.
Source. FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; 21 CFR 101.93(g)
Safer wording. Describe the lifestyle or care support offered without promising reversal.
The federal rules that still apply
46 federal and general rules matched to telehealth and weight-loss programs run next to the Google Ads and YouTube ones. The ones that weigh most:
CG-CSR-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Prescribing a controlled substance without a real evaluation, records or follow-up violates the Controlled Substances Act and DEA telemedicine rules.
Source: 21 U.S.C. 829 and 841(h); 21 CFR 1306.04 (prescription issued for a legitimate medical purpose); 21 CFR 1306.05 (manner of issuance, so a prescription must carry the patient and practitioner details); FTC Act section 5
Safer wording: Do not advertise controlled substances. A licensed clinician must decide whether to prescribe after a real evaluation.
21 CFR 1306.04, 21 U.S.C. 829, 21 CFR 1306.05 · Needs counsel review
CG-DEA-003 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Offering to fill a prescription for a controlled substance based only on an online questionnaire is a listed example of an internet distribution violation.
Source: 21 U.S.C. 841 subsection (h) lists offering to fill a controlled substance prescription based solely on a consumer's online medical questionnaire as an example of a violation
Safer wording: Do not tie a controlled substance prescription to a questionnaire alone. Describe a live evaluation by a licensed practitioner who decides if a prescription is appropriate.
21 U.S.C. 841 · Needs counsel review
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
CG-OIG-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Paying or rewarding anyone for referring patients or for each prescription can violate the federal anti-kickback statute, and paying influencers without disclosure violates endorsement rules.
Source: federal anti-kickback statute, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b; OIG Special Fraud Alert on telemedicine arrangements; FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255
Safer wording: Remove payments tied to referrals or prescriptions. Pay marketers a fixed fee for services set in advance, and require clear disclosure of any paid endorsement.
16 CFR Part 255, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b · Needs counsel review
Everything for the industry is on the telehealth and weight-loss programs page, and all Google Ads and YouTube rules for any industry are on the Google Ads and YouTube page.
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Check your Google Ads and YouTube telehealth copy
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