Why it happens
A prescription drug name in the ad, keyword or page
A prescription drug name in the ad, keyword or page
Mentioning a prescription medicine, even in an informational way, triggers the policy for advertisers without certification.
The business needs certification and has none
Online pharmacies, prescription drug services, pharmaceutical manufacturers, addiction services, US health insurance and abortion-related ads in some countries each have their own certification.
The service is not allowed in the targeted country
Requirements differ by country. In the US online pharmacies need LegitScript or NABP accreditation; in some countries they cannot advertise at all.
How to fix it, step by step
Find the exact policy topic
Go to Campaigns, then Ads, and hover the Disapproved or Eligible (limited) label in the Status column. It names the policy and the part of the ad it applies to. Tools, then Troubleshooting, then Policy manager lists every affected ad in one place.
Decide whether you need certification
Check the healthcare and medicines policy for your service and each country you target. If it lists a certification, apply through the matching Google healthcare certification form.
Or remove the restricted terms
If you do not need to promote the restricted product, take drug names and restricted services out of ads, keywords and the landing page.
Resubmit or appeal
Saving an edited ad resubmits it for review. If you think the call was wrong, or the change was made outside the ad, open Policy manager, choose Appeal and pick Dispute decision or Made changes to comply with policy. Each ad gets 3 appeals, and only decisions from the last 6 months can be appealed from the account.
Steps checked against Google Ads policy help: Healthcare and medicines; Google Ads Help: Fix a disapproved ad or appeal a policy decision.
Sprites diagnoses this
Sprites diagnoses it
Sprites shows every ad caught by the healthcare policy so you know exactly what certification covers.
What Sprites does
- Reads the policy status of your ads and lists every one disapproved under healthcare and medicines.
- Rewrites ad text to drop restricted drug names and services, once you approve, when you do not need to promote them.
What it doesn't do
- It does not apply for Google healthcare certification or LegitScript accreditation on your behalf.
- It does not edit your landing page or file appeals.
Questions
Do I need certification to advertise a telehealth service?
If it prescribes medicine, yes, as a prescription drug service in most countries. A telehealth service that does not prescribe usually does not.
Why was my ad disapproved when it only mentions a medicine name?
The policy applies to prescription drug terms in ads, keywords and landing pages, whatever the intent, unless the advertiser is certified.
Can Google certification be done in a day?
Rarely. Certification is reviewed by Google, and some types also need a third party such as LegitScript, which takes longer.
Will an appeal clear a healthcare disapproval without certification?
Only if the ad was flagged by mistake. If the business needs certification, the appeal will not clear it.
See where it breaks
Connect your accounts. Sprites reads them side by side and shows you exactly where the numbers split.