Google gives programmatic buyers new freedom on prescription drug ads

On December 19, 2025, Google informed AdSense publishers that the company will update its Pharmaceutical product policy for Authorized Buyers in January 2026. The change represents a departure from the certification requirements that govern pharmaceutical advertising on Google Ads, creating distinct policy frameworks across Google's advertising platforms.

According to the email notification sent to publishers, Authorized Buyers will gain the ability to promote prescription drugs and prescription drug services in specific locations without requiring Google certification. This marks a fundamental shift in how Google regulates pharmaceutical content across its programmatic advertising ecosystem.

The policy modification affects Google's Authorized Buyers platform, which operates within the programmatic advertising infrastructure that connects buyers and publishers through automated auction systems. Unlike Google Ads, where the company maintains direct relationships with every advertiser, Authorized Buyers creates a separation between Google and the ultimate advertisers, limiting the platform's ability to verify legal status and compliance.

The updated policy explicitly states that "Authorized Buyers do not need to be certified with Google to promote this content." This represents a notable contrast to Google Ads Healthcare and Medicines policy requirements, which mandate certification for advertisers promoting prescription drug services across 24 countries.

Google's rationale for this policy divergence appears in the original Authorized Buyers documentation, which notes that "Google Ads has a direct relationship with every advertiser and can require proof of legal status. For Authorized Buyers, Google's relationship is with the buyer and we lack insight to the identity of those advertisers."

The policy reorganization will rename the existing framework from "Pharmaceutical product policy" to "Pharmaceutical products and services policy." The updated language clarifies that the policy applies to prescription drugs, online pharmacies, unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements, illegal drugs, and related products and services. All creatives must comply with local laws, regulations, and industry standards.

Google maintains several categories of disapproved content that remain prohibited across all Authorized Buyers inventory. Clinical trials, contraception information and products, fertility tests and aids, miracle cures and related products, HIV home tests, and misleading health claims continue facing blanket restrictions on Google Partner Inventory.

Products considered unapproved pharmaceuticals or supplements remain prohibited, as do illegal drugs, herbal drugs, drug paraphernalia, bongs, glass pipes, hookahs, presses, and aids to pass drug tests. Recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services face continued prohibition, including clinical addiction treatment providers, recovery support services like sober living environments and mutual help organizations, lead generators or referral agencies for addiction services, and crisis hotlines for drug and alcohol addiction.

Speculative and experimental medical treatments remain banned, encompassing stem cell therapy, cellular non-stem therapy, gene therapy and similar forms of regenerative medicine, platelet rich plasma, biohacking, do-it-yourself genetic engineering products, and gene therapy kits. These prohibitions mirror restrictions Google has maintained across its advertising platforms to prevent promotion of potentially dangerous or unproven medical interventions.

The policy introduces three categories of content allowed with restrictions, each governed by distinct geographic and compliance requirements. Over-the-counter drugs receive permission for advertising on Google Partner Inventory in accordance with local laws, regulations, and industry standards. This category faces specific geographic prohibitions. OTC creatives remain disallowed in China, Russia, and Brazil. Advertisements running in Korea require the ad deliberation number to be located in the ad creative with a font size of 8 or larger, with creatives lacking this number facing disapproval.

Restricted drug terms represent a newly permissible category under the updated policy. According to the notification, Authorized Buyers can serve creatives using prescription drug terms on Google Partner Inventory in some locations, in accordance with local laws and regulations. The policy provides a non-exhaustive list of prescription drugs or active ingredients monitored under this framework.

Geographic targeting determines whether promotional use of prescription drug terms receives permission. In the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, creatives may use prescription drug terms for promotional purposes, including content promoting the branding, use, sale, and distribution of prescription drugs. This mirrors policy modifications Google implemented for Google Ads in October 2025, which permitted promotional prescription drug terminology in these three markets.

In other locations, creatives cannot use prescription drug terms for promotional purposes. Non-promotional use of prescription drug terms remains permitted globally, including regulatory warnings, legal notices, public health and safety campaigns, and academic publications. This bifurcated approach creates operational complexity for buyers managing campaigns across multiple geographic markets.

The most significant policy expansion involves prescription drug services. Authorized Buyers receive permission to serve creatives promoting online prescribing, dispensing, and sale of prescription drugs on Google Partner Inventory in some locations, in accordance with local laws and regulations. The policy directs buyers to consult the Google Ads Prescription Drug Services policy for a complete list of locations where such creatives can be promoted.

Brazil faces an explicit prohibition on creatives promoting prescription drug services due to local restrictions. This represents the only country-specific restriction mentioned in the prescription drug services section, suggesting broader geographic availability than the restricted drug terms category.

The notification emphasizes that this update applies specifically to Authorized Buyers policy and does not impact other product policies. Google explicitly states that the changes do not affect Google Ads Healthcare and Medicines policy, maintaining separate regulatory frameworks for direct advertiser relationships versus programmatic buying channels.

This policy divergence creates a regulatory arbitrage opportunity within Google's advertising ecosystem. Advertisers promoting prescription drugs and services face mandatory certification requirements when advertising through Google Ads, but can access similar inventory through Authorized Buyers without certification, provided they comply with local laws and target appropriate geographic markets.

The timing of this policy modification follows a pattern of pharmaceutical advertising updates Google implemented throughout 2025. The company launched a restricted drug term certification program in July 2025, requiring approval for personalized targeting involving pharmaceutical terms in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand when targeting healthcare professionals.

Google simplified healthcare ad enforcement in August 2025 by deprecating the Restricted Medical Content label while maintaining existing certification requirements. These sequential modifications demonstrate Google's ongoing calibration of pharmaceutical advertising controls across different platforms and use cases.

The pharmaceutical advertising policy landscape has grown increasingly complex across Google's product portfolio. Google Ads permits certified advertisers to bid on prescription drug keywords in 16 countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, United Kingdom, and United States. The certification infrastructure varies by country, with specific requirements tailored to local regulatory frameworks.

Telemedicine advertising received expanded permissions in July 2025, when Google allowed certified providers to promote prescription drug services in the United Kingdom and Singapore. This expansion required LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification Program approval, adding a third-party verification layer that the Authorized Buyers policy modification explicitly removes.

Publishers operating Google Partner Inventory face new considerations regarding pharmaceutical advertising exposure. AdSense publishers already maintain tools for blocking specific ad categories, but the expanded Authorized Buyers permissions may increase pharmaceutical advertisement frequency on publisher sites that have not implemented category restrictions.

AdSense provides several blocking controls for publishers concerned about pharmaceutical advertising on their properties. The Ad Review Centre enables individual ad review and blocking. Advertiser URL blocking prevents ads from specific domains. Sensitive category blocking restricts ads related to topics including healthcare and medicines. General category blocking covers broader ad classifications.

The pharmaceutical equipment market faced significant restrictions earlier in 2025 when Google prohibited advertisements for pill presses, encapsulating machines, and related components starting September 1, 2025. This policy, which applies across Google Ads and Google Shopping platforms, aims to prevent potential misuse of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment for illegal drug production, demonstrating Google's continued concern about pharmaceutical-adjacent content despite the liberalization for prescription drug advertising.

Pharmaceutical companies operating global marketing campaigns must now navigate divergent policy requirements across Google's advertising platforms. Campaigns utilizing Google Ads require certification and face geographic restrictions on promotional prescription drug terminology. Campaigns operating through Authorized Buyers can access similar inventory without certification, provided they target permitted markets and comply with local regulations.

The lack of certification requirements for Authorized Buyers raises questions about enforcement mechanisms and compliance verification. Google's documentation notes that the company lacks direct insight into advertiser identities when transactions occur through Authorized Buyers infrastructure. This structural limitation prevents the platform from implementing the same verification procedures that govern Google Ads pharmaceutical advertising.

Publishers must rely on Google's automated policy enforcement systems to prevent prohibited pharmaceutical content from appearing on their properties. The updated policy maintains prohibitions on addiction services, experimental treatments, and illegal drugs, but expands permissions for prescription drug terminology and services that previously faced blanket restrictions.

The policy reorganization includes language clarifications designed to improve readability and understanding. The new "Pharmaceutical products and services policy" title more accurately reflects the scope of covered content compared to the previous "Pharmaceutical product policy" designation. The restructured framework separates disapproved content, over-the-counter drugs, restricted drug terms, and prescription drug services into distinct sections with clear geographic and compliance specifications.

International regulatory frameworks governing pharmaceutical advertising vary substantially across jurisdictions. The United States permits direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising under FDA oversight, while most other countries maintain stricter limitations on prescription drug promotion to general audiences. This regulatory fragmentation explains the geographic targeting requirements embedded throughout Google's policy framework.

Canada's regulatory framework allows prescription drug advertising with restrictions, including requirements that advertisements mention either the drug name or its indication, but not both in certain formats. New Zealand permits direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising under guidelines established by the Medicines Act and related regulations. This explains why Google permits promotional prescription drug terminology in these three markets while restricting such content globally.

The European Union maintains significantly stricter pharmaceutical advertising regulations compared to North America and Oceania. European markets generally prohibit direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications, limiting promotional content to healthcare professionals and requiring extensive compliance documentation. The absence of EU countries from Google's permitted markets for promotional prescription drug terminology reflects these regulatory constraints.

The policy update notification directs publishers to existing resources for controlling ad appearance on their properties. AdSense documentation explains how publishers can prevent ads from specific categories from appearing on their sites using various blocking controls. These tools operate at different specificity levels, from individual ad blocking through the Ad Review Centre to broad category restrictions covering entire content classifications.

The distinction between promotional and non-promotional use of prescription drug terms creates implementation complexity for buyers. Academic publications, public health campaigns, and regulatory warnings can utilize prescription drug terminology globally, while commercial promotion faces geographic restrictions. Buyers must develop content strategies that accommodate these usage distinctions across different campaign objectives and targeting parameters.

Online pharmacies represent a particularly complex category under the updated framework. The policy permits advertising for prescription drug services in certain locations, but implementation requires alignment with local regulations governing online pharmaceutical sales. Countries maintain varying standards for online pharmacy operations, from permissive frameworks enabling widespread e-commerce to restrictive regimes requiring physical pharmacy presence.

The pharmaceutical advertising policy modifications occur against a backdrop of increasing digital health services adoption. Telemedicine platforms expanded significantly during 2024 and 2025, creating new channels for prescription medication access. This growth in digital health delivery models has prompted advertising platforms to develop more nuanced policy frameworks that accommodate legitimate healthcare services while preventing exploitation and consumer harm.

Measurement and attribution challenges accompany pharmaceutical advertising campaigns regardless of platform. Healthcare advertising faces unique privacy considerations around patient data and treatment information. Advertisers must implement campaign tracking methodologies that comply with health information privacy regulations while providing sufficient performance visibility for optimization decisions.

The programmatic advertising ecosystem continues evolving through technical standardization efforts and privacy-oriented modifications. Google completed its transition to OpenRTB protocol on February 15, 2025, abandoning proprietary Authorized Buyers RTB protocol in favor of industry standards. This standardization facilitates interoperability across programmatic platforms while maintaining platform-specific policy requirements like the pharmaceutical advertising modifications.

The January 2026 implementation timeline provides buyers approximately one month to prepare campaigns and compliance documentation. Google has not specified whether violations will result in immediate account suspension or whether the company will issue warnings prior to enforcement actions. Previous pharmaceutical policy updates have included grace periods with warning notifications before full enforcement begins.

Publishers concerned about pharmaceutical advertising exposure on their properties should review their blocking controls before the January 2026 policy implementation. The expanded permissions for Authorized Buyers may result in increased pharmaceutical advertisement frequency for publishers who have not implemented category restrictions or advertiser URL blocking.

The policy framework maintains Google's longstanding prohibitions on the most problematic pharmaceutical content categories. Experimental treatments, addiction services, and illegal drugs remain banned across all Authorized Buyers inventory regardless of geographic targeting or local regulations. These baseline restrictions reflect Google's assessment of content categories that pose unacceptable risks regardless of regulatory permissiveness in specific markets.

The pharmaceutical industry's digital advertising spending has grown substantially as companies recognize the effectiveness of targeted online campaigns for both direct-to-consumer outreach and healthcare professional education. This spending growth creates revenue opportunities for publishers operating in permitted markets, while raising content policy considerations for those serving sensitive audiences or operating in restricted jurisdictions.

Google's approach to pharmaceutical advertising regulation demonstrates the platform's ongoing attempt to balance commercial opportunity, regulatory compliance, consumer protection, and publisher control. The divergent requirements across Google Ads and Authorized Buyers reflect structural differences in how these platforms operate and the varying degrees of advertiser oversight each enables.

Timeline

• November 2, 2023: Google updates Healthcare and Medicines policy renaming "Prescription Drug Sale" to "Prescription Drug Services"
• June 13, 2024: Google updates advertising policy to address opioid painkillers, allowing certified advertisers to mention opioids for public health discussions
• July 1, 2025: Google launches restricted drug term certification for healthcare advertisers in US, Canada, and New Zealand
• July 1, 2025: Google announces pill press equipment restrictions with September implementation
• July 2025: Google expands telemedicine advertising to UK and Singapore requiring LegitScript certification
• August 1, 2025: Google simplifies healthcare ad enforcement by deprecating Restricted Medical Content label
• September 1, 2025: Pill press equipment advertising restrictions take effect across Google Ads and Shopping
• October 19, 2025: Google revises prescription drug advertising policy for Canada, New Zealand, and United States
• October 22, 2025: Google allows melatonin supplement ads in Germany, France, and Spain
• December 19, 2025: Google announces Authorized Buyers pharmaceutical policy update for January 2026
• January 2026: Updated Pharmaceutical products and services policy takes effect for Authorized Buyers

Summary

Who: Google announced the policy update affecting Authorized Buyers, AdSense publishers, and pharmaceutical advertisers operating through programmatic advertising channels.

What: Google will update the Pharmaceutical product policy for Authorized Buyers, renaming it to Pharmaceutical products and services policy. The update allows Authorized Buyers to promote prescription drugs and prescription drug services in certain locations without requiring Google certification, creating divergent requirements from Google Ads.

When: Google sent the email notification on December 19, 2025. The policy update takes effect in January 2026.

Where: The policy update applies to Google Partner Inventory accessed through Authorized Buyers. Geographic restrictions vary by content category, with promotional prescription drug terminology permitted in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Prescription drug services face restrictions in Brazil, while OTC drugs remain prohibited in China, Russia, and Brazil.

Why: The policy modification addresses structural differences between Google Ads and Authorized Buyers platforms. Google maintains direct relationships with Google Ads advertisers and can require proof of legal status, while Authorized Buyers creates separation between Google and ultimate advertisers, limiting the platform's ability to verify compliance. The update reorganizes policy language for improved clarity and readability while expanding permissions for prescription drug advertising in specific markets.