Google’s Healthcare and medicines policy restricts a specific list of topics. The ones a clinic is most likely to meet are prescription drug services such as online pharmacies and telemedicine prescribing, the names of prescription drugs in ads, keywords or landing pages, addiction treatment, and health insurance in the United States. Each of these needs Google’s approval first, and addiction treatment in the United States and Canada also needs LegitScript certification. Speculative and experimental treatments and unapproved substances can’t be advertised at all. Separately, ads about health conditions can’t use remarketing lists, Customer Match or lookalike audiences.
Appointments, procedures and visits at an in-person clinic are not on the restricted list, but the targeting rules still apply to ads about them.
What the policy restricts
| Topic | Google’s status | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription drug services (online pharmacies, telemedicine) | Restricted, in listed countries only | Apply to Google; LegitScript or NABP accreditation where Google asks for it, including the United States and Canada |
| Restricted drug terms (prescription drug names in ads, keywords or landing pages) | Restricted | Depends on the country |
| Addiction services (recovery from drug and alcohol addiction) | Restricted, in certain countries | Google certification; LegitScript certification in the United States and Canada |
| Health insurance (United States) | Restricted | Google certification |
| Abortion | Not allowed in a number of countries | In the United States, the UK and Ireland, certification of whether you provide abortions |
| Birth control, fertility and STI testing | Not allowed in certain countries | |
| HIV home tests | Not allowed in most countries | Allowed in the United States for FDA-approved tests |
| Clinical trial recruitment | Not allowed in most countries | |
| Speculative and experimental treatments | Not allowed | |
| Cell and gene therapies | Not allowed | Exception in the United States for FDA-licensed or approved products, by the license holder |
| Unapproved substances | Not allowed |
Telemedicine and prescription drugs
A clinic that prescribes online counts as a prescription drug service. Google says “advertisers must apply to serve ads for prescription drug services,” and telemedicine providers can advertise only in the countries the policy lists, which include the United States and Canada. Ads, keywords and landing pages that name a prescription drug fall under the restricted drug terms rules.
The serious violations carry the heaviest penalty. For unauthorized pharmacies, such as offering prescription drugs without a prescription, Google says accounts are suspended without warning and can’t advertise again.
Addiction treatment and LegitScript
Google restricts “the promotion of recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services.” A provider needs Google’s certification, and in the United States and Canada also LegitScript certification, before these ads run. In Australia, France, Ireland and New Zealand, only government entities may run them.
The rule is narrower than it sounds. Google lists impulse control, behavioral addiction and nicotine addiction services as outside this policy. A therapy practice that treats anxiety or depression is not an addiction service under it, although its ads still fall under the health targeting rules below.
Targeting: no remarketing lists for health ads
Google treats health as a sensitive interest category, covering “physical or mental health conditions, including diseases, sexual health, and chronic health conditions,” along with treatments, invasive procedures and disabilities. Its examples include “Counseling services for mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and addiction” and “Treatments for chronic health conditions like diabetes or arthritis.”
For ads in that category, Google’s health personalization page lists Customer Match, your data segments (the remarketing lists built from your own website visitors and customers), audience expansion and lookalike segments as not supported, and advertiser-curated audiences can’t be used. Google’s predefined audiences, such as in-market and affinity segments, together with location and demographic targeting, remain available. The page also says custom segments “will only serve with Display campaigns to non-sensitive audiences or contextually.”
For a clinic this means the campaign has to reach patients through what they search and where they are, rather than by following past visitors around the web. In practice that means Search campaigns built around each service and location, with landing pages that match.
Questions clinics ask about Google Ads rules
Do doctors or clinics need certification to run Google Ads?
Not for in-person services outside the restricted topics. Certification applies to the restricted topics in the table: prescription drug services, prescription drug names, addiction treatment, health insurance in the United States and abortion in some countries.
Do therapists need certification for Google Ads?
Not for counseling for anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions. Addiction treatment is the exception: it needs Google certification, and LegitScript certification in the United States and Canada. Counseling ads still fall under the health targeting rules, so remarketing lists and Customer Match are not available for them. Our mental health marketing page covers how we work with therapy practices.
What is LegitScript certification?
LegitScript is the certification Google asks for, alongside its own, before addiction treatment providers can advertise in the United States and Canada. Google also lists it, with NABP accreditation, among the certifications for online pharmacies and telemedicine in several countries.
Can a clinic remarket to people who visited its website?
Not with ads about health conditions or treatments. Your data segments, which is what Google calls remarketing lists, are not supported for the health category.
Can we mention a drug by name in our ads?
Only where the restricted drug terms rules allow it for your country and your certification. Google restricts prescription drug names in ads, keywords and landing pages. Our men’s health clinic marketing page shows how we run ads for clinics whose treatments are prescription drugs.
Who can set this up for us?
We run Google Ads for clinics and medical practices within these rules, with the account in your name. Our healthcare Google Ads page explains how we work, and our healthcare marketing page covers the rest of what we do for clinics.
Sources
- Google, Healthcare and medicines (Advertising Policies Help), read November 2026.
- Google, Health in personalized advertising (Advertising Policies Help), read November 2026.
- Google, Restricted targeting in Personalized advertising (Advertising Policies Help), read November 2026.
Disclaimer: We are a marketing company, not a legal one. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice; all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.
Roman ZelvenschiChief Storyteller
Roman Zelvenschi is a digital marketing strategist and founder with over 15 years of experience helping businesses grow through data-driven marketing and brand strategy. Since 2008, he has turned ideas into profitable, scalable ventures—working with brands ranging from global enterprises like Mondelēz to startups such as The Kosher Express. His expertise lies in SEO, AI-driven marketing, and lead generation, particularly within highly regulated industries such as healthcare, long-term care, and finance. Roman believes effective marketing blends brand investment for long-term growth with short-term performance through lead generation and customer lifetime value optimization. An early adopter of AI in marketing, Roman has leveraged machine learning since 2022 to enhance targeting, personalization, and campaign performance. He continues to advocate that technology should amplify human creativity—not replace it.
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