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Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help center for additional restrictions.
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.
Learn more about the Healthcare and medicines policy.We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious. An egregious violation of the Google Ads policies is a violation so serious that it is unlawful or poses significant harm to our users. In determining whether an advertiser or destination is violating this policy, we may review information from multiple sources including your ad, website, accounts, and third-party sources. If we find violations of this policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again. If you believe there's been an error, and that you haven’t violated our policy, submit an appeal and explain why. We only reinstate accounts in compelling circumstances, and when there is good reason so it's important that you take the time to be thorough, accurate, and honest. Learn more about suspended accounts.
Google doesn't allow ads for prescription opioid painkillers except for those that are intended for use as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder and meet all other requirements pertaining to prescription drugs listed on this page.
In limited cases, and where permitted by local law, Google allows exceptions to this policy for (a) public health and safety awareness campaigns from governmental or well-established non-profit health advocacy organizations, (b) ads for non-opioid pharmaceuticals that only refer to prescription opioids in their safety information, (c) certified addiction treatment providers in the United States, and (d) verified election advertisers. Verified election advertisers may only target regions in which they are certified to run election ads.
Advertisers without any of the above certifications are prohibited from referring to opioid painkillers in their ads whatsoever. Advertisers can apply for any of the above certifications here.
1. Adhere to all location-specific requirements. If your campaign targets a location that isn't listed, then we don't allow the promotion of those products in that location.
2. Fill out our online application form.
- Be sure to include your Google Ads customer ID. You can locate this ID at the top of your account pages.
- To cut down on any unnecessary delays, be sure to fill out all of the requested information.
- If you are an agency applying on behalf of an advertiser, please send documentation detailing your relationship with the advertiser or license holder.
Options to fix
If this policy is affecting your ad, review your options to fix below.
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.
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
.
- Click the Campaigns drop down in the section menu.
- Click Ads.
- Hover over the ad or asset and click Edit.
- Edit the ad or asset so that it complies with the policy.
- Click 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've fixed your destination or believe that we've made an error, appeal the policy decision directly from your Google Ads account to request for a review. After we confirm that the destination is compliant, we can approve your ads. 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.