Telehealth and weight-loss programs / Quora Ads
3 Quora Ads policy rules bear on telehealth and weight-loss programs
3 rules come from Quora Ads policy and match the wording telehealth and weight-loss programs use. 2 of them name only Quora Ads. The rest are shared with the policies of Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Microsoft Advertising (Bing) and Nextdoor. None of them block approval; all 3 warn. Of the 13 platforms with a page for this industry, it has the 10th most rules.
What Quora Ads policy adds
Platform rules are about ad approval and account risk, not law, and policies change. These are the Quora Ads rules whose wording is about remote prescribing, compounded drugs and weight-loss claims. They run when Quora Ads is selected in the checker.
CG-PLT-022 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Meta bars ads that declare or imply a perfect body, exploit insecurities or shame the body in order to promote a diet, weight loss or health product. Reddit bars body-shaming language and unrealistic beauty standards in weight loss and cosmetic ads, Nextdoor bars promoting negative or unrealistic body images, and Microsoft bars content that encourages negative body image in weight loss ads.
Source: Meta Advertising Standards, Personal health and appearance; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy
Safer wording: Describe the benefit in health terms (energy, mobility, blood pressure) and leave out appearance ideals and shame.
Meta Advertising Standards, Personal health and appearance, Nextdoor Ads Policy, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy
CG-PLT-032 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Quora does not allow ads for weight loss pills, weight loss supplements or fat burners, and does not allow before and after pictures of weight loss or fitness transformations. This is platform policy, not law.
Source: Quora Advertising Policies ("We do not allow the promotion of weight loss pills, weight loss supplements, or fat burners."; "we also do not allow before and after pictures depicting transformations for weight loss or fitness related products and services")
Safer wording: Do not run weight loss pill, supplement or fat burner ads on Quora, and drop before and after weight or fitness images. Advertise a clinical service without product claims, and ask Quora for approval if the service is a restricted healthcare category.
Quora Advertising Policies
CG-PLT-034 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Quora restricts healthcare advertising, including prescription and over the counter medication, GLP-1 medications, online and offline pharmacies, and clinical trial recruitment. These need Quora's approval before the ad runs. This is platform policy, not law, and an ad can be rejected without it.
Source: Quora Advertising Policies ("We restrict the promotion of healthcare-related content."; "We restrict GLP-1 medications.")
Safer wording: Ask Quora for approval with your company name, the product or service and the landing page before you run the ad. Appointment booking sites, basic medical supplies and online therapy apps do not need prior approval.
Quora Advertising Policies
What the checker flags with Quora Ads selected
Sample wording we wrote, run through the engine with Quora Ads selected. Only samples where a Quora Ads rule fires are shown.
Compounded semaglutide, no prescription needed.
- Blocks approval
CG-REG-007Also matches CG-RFA-006, CG-TRG-005, CG-CMP-002, CG-TRL-003, CG-RPL-002, CG-TRH-005, CG-RPL-004, CG-PLT-034FDA has sent warning letters to telehealth and online sellers over marketing of compounded GLP-1 drugs and unapproved peptides. Compounded drugs are not FDA approved, and these products raise misbranding and unapproved-drug issues.
Source. FDCA 503A and 503B; FDA warning letters to telehealth firms on compounded GLP-1 marketing
Safer wording.
Same active ingredient as Wegovy. Lose 20 pounds in 30 days, guaranteed.
- Blocks approval
CG-REG-006Also matches CG-RFA-006, CG-TRI-008, CG-PLT-034Compounded 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-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-035, CG-PLT-001, CG-PLT-034Claiming 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 Quora Ads 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 Quora Ads rules for any industry are on the Quora Ads page.
Next step
Check your Quora Ads telehealth copy
Pick Quora Ads in the checker's ad platforms picker and every flag cites the rule and source listed above.