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In August 2024, Google will revise the planned update to its Healthcare and medicines policy regarding opioid painkillers. Google will allow verified election advertisers to apply for a certification that will enable them to refer to opioid painkillers without promoting or selling them.
Prescription opioid painkillers
Google does not allow ads promoting or selling prescription opioid painkillers. This does not include medication-assisted treatment (MAT) drugs for opioid use disorder that meet all other requirements for prescription drugs listed on this page.
In limited cases, and where permitted by local law, Google allows some advertisers to apply for a certification that will allow them to refer to opioids in their ads. These advertisers include (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.
(Posted on July 29, 2024)