Telehealth Ad Rules on Google, Meta and TikTok

What the major ad platforms require before anyone can advertise telehealth or prescription treatment, why a publisher can't borrow an advertiser's certification, and how to run paid traffic to a telehealth offer without losing your ad account.

Compare platforms Pre-launch checklist

Last reviewed October 5, 2026 · Platform policies change often. Check the current policy before you launch.

The short version: on every major platform, the right to advertise telehealth or prescription treatment belongs to a certified provider. A publisher can run paid traffic to a telehealth offer only when the advertiser's certification and written permission cover that placement. On MarketHealth, paid search and paid social are approval-required on every telehealth offer.

Certification belongs to the provider

LegitScript certifies online pharmacies, telehealth providers and other healthcare merchants. It checks licensing, prescribing practices and legal compliance, and Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and others rely on it when deciding who may advertise prescription treatment.

Certification covers a specific business and its websites. It costs $975 per website to apply and $2,150 a year per website to keep, and certified merchants must make sure their affiliates and partners follow the same standards. A publisher's own site isn't certified just because it promotes a certified provider, and a provider's certification doesn't extend to every ad a publisher runs.

Before you plan paid traffic for any telehealth offer, ask the advertiser three questions:

Is the program LegitScript certified, and does that certification cover the landing page you'll send traffic to?
Which platforms, if any, may affiliates advertise on, and under whose account?
Will they confirm that permission in writing?

Platform-by-platform rules

A summary of each platform's current rules for telehealth and prescription treatment in the US. Each platform publishes its full policy, and it changes often.

Platform	Who can advertise	Key restrictions
Google Ads	Advertisers need Google's healthcare certification to promote prescription drug services. In the US, that requires LegitScript certification (or NABP accreditation for online pharmacies).	Can't target locations where the provider isn't licensed. Prescription drug terms are monitored, and uncertified accounts can't bid on them. Unapproved substances, including research peptides, are prohibited. No personalized ads based on health conditions.
Microsoft Advertising	Online pharmacies need LegitScript certification or NABP accreditation.	Ads targeting consumers by sensitive health condition aren't allowed. Weight-loss claims are tightly restricted.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram)	Telehealth providers and online pharmacies promoting prescription drugs need LegitScript certification and Meta's permission.	Ads must target people 18 and over, in markets where Meta allows these ads. Weight-loss ads are 18+, with limits on before-and-after images and body-focused imagery.
TikTok	Prescription drug promotion requires proof of certification or approval. Pharmacies need LegitScript or NABP certification.	Rules vary by country, and many markets prohibit prescription drug ads entirely. Weight-loss and body-image claims are restricted.
Pinterest	Telehealth providers, pharmacies and drug manufacturers need prior approval.	Weight-loss imagery and language are banned, except for approved US and Canadian healthcare advertisers promoting prescription GLP-1 medication. No targeting by sensitive health condition.
Snapchat	Prescription drug advertisers need pre-approval.	No exaggerated diet claims or before-and-after images in diet and fitness ads.
X	Prescription drug ads are generally prohibited. Telehealth providers need X's prior authorization.	No custom audiences or conversion events built from health information.

What it means for affiliates

Do

Get written approval for each paid platform, campaign type and landing page
Send paid traffic only to the advertiser's approved landing pages
Use the advertiser's approved ad copy, or get yours approved first
Keep campaigns inside the provider's licensed states
Keep screenshots of approved ads and approval emails

Don't

Bid on prescription drug names or the advertiser's brand terms without permission
Cloak landing pages or show reviewers a different page than users see
Use a bridge page to get around a platform's prescription drug rules
Open new ad accounts to replace a suspended one
Promote research peptides or unapproved substances anywhere

Getting around a platform's healthcare rules by cloaking, bridge pages or new accounts is the fastest way to lose your accounts permanently, and it can cost the advertiser its certification too.

ED, women's health and dermatology

Sexual health and contraception ads are usually limited to adult audiences and must focus on health rather than pleasure, and prescription treatment ads also need the advertiser's platform certification. Dermatology ads that show skin results are judged like before-and-after content. In every case, the advertiser's brief decides whether paid traffic is allowed at all. See ED, women's health and dermatology.

Ad copy and landing pages

Platforms review the ad and the page it leads to. Both need to meet the platform's rules and the advertiser's approved claims.

Instead of	Try
"Get [drug name] online today"	"Talk to a licensed clinician about weight care online"
"Lose 20 lbs in a month"	"Clinician-guided weight care. Results vary."
"No doctor visit needed"	"Complete an online health review with a licensed clinician"
"Struggling with low T?" (targets a condition)	"Learn how men's health telehealth works"
Before-and-after body photos	Approved product, lifestyle or clinician imagery

Many platforms also reject copy that implies they know a viewer's health condition, such as "Your test results show..." or "Since you have diabetes...". Speak to the topic, not the person.

Targeting and tracking

No health-condition targeting. Google, Microsoft, Pinterest and X restrict or ban targeting people by health condition, and Meta has removed most health-related targeting options.
No health data in audiences. Don't build custom or lookalike audiences from quiz answers, intake data or lists of people interested in a condition.
Clean conversion events. Name events neutrally, such as "lead" or "purchase," never "GLP-1 signup," and never pass health information to a pixel or conversion API.
Why it matters: the FTC's July 2026 lawsuit against Hims & Hers centered on health data shared with ad platforms through tracking and customer lists. See the regulation tracker for its status.

Organic and creator content

Organic posts, videos and newsletters aren't subject to a platform's ad certification rules, but other rules still apply:

Paid partnerships must use the platform's branded content or paid partnership label, plus a clear spoken or written disclosure.
Boosting an organic post turns it into an ad, and the ad rules apply.
Health claims, pricing and before-and-after rules are the same in organic content. See the compliance guide.
Platforms can still remove organic content that promotes prescription drugs in ways their community guidelines don't allow.

Pre-launch checklist for paid telehealth traffic

Certification confirmedThe advertiser is LegitScript certified, and the certification covers the landing page.
Written permissionApproval names the platform, campaign type and landing page.
Licensed geographyLocation targeting matches the provider's licensed states.
Approved copy and creativeAd text, images and video match the brief or are approved.
No restricted keywordsNo prescription drug names or brand terms unless permitted.
No health targetingNo condition-based targeting or audiences built from health data.
Clean trackingNeutral event names and click IDs only. No health data in pixels or URLs.
18+ onlyAge targeting set to adults where the platform requires it.
Records keptApprovals, ad screenshots and landing page versions saved.

Sources

FAQ

Ad platform questions

Can affiliates run Google Ads for telehealth offers?

Only in limited ways. Google requires telehealth providers promoting prescription treatment to hold LegitScript and Google healthcare certification, and uncertified accounts can't bid on prescription drug terms. Affiliates should run paid search only with the advertiser's written approval, on approved keywords and landing pages.

Do I need LegitScript certification as a publisher?

Usually not, because certification is for the provider: the telehealth company or pharmacy. What you need is the certified advertiser's written permission for each paid placement, and to stay within the advertiser's approved copy and pages.

Can I advertise GLP-1 programs on Meta?

Meta allows prescription drug ads only from LegitScript-certified telehealth providers and online pharmacies with Meta's permission, targeted to adults. An affiliate can run them only if the advertiser authorizes it and the ads meet Meta's weight-loss rules.

Are organic TikTok or Instagram posts about telehealth allowed?

Generally yes, with a clear paid-partnership label and disclosure, approved claims and no prohibited content. Boosting the post turns it into an ad, and the ad rules then apply.

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