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Google disapproved our clinic's ads for "Unapproved substances"

The notice
Unapproved substances
On this page

Google disapproved the ad because something in the ad, its keywords or its landing page promotes a product on Google's Unapproved substances list, or reads like one. For clinics that is usually hCG offered for weight loss, a peptide or supplement presented as working like a prescription drug, or a treatment marketed as preventing or curing a condition without government approval. This policy warns before it suspends: Google says a warning "will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account." Take the product or the claim out of the ad and the landing page, save the edit, and appeal only if Google has misread what you offer.

While you clean up the ads, Curve Compliance takes care of what your website sends to Google. Curve replaces browser pixels with HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking to Google Ads, Meta Conversions API, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn, detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform, and signs a BAA on every plan. Curve's team does the setup for you, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.

What Google puts under Unapproved substances

Google doesn't allow the promotion of certain products, "regardless of any claims of legality". The lines that matter most for clinics and telehealth brands:

  • "Products containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in relation to weight loss or weight control, or when promoted in conjunction with anabolic steroids"
  • "Products that imply they are as effective as prescription drugs or controlled substances"
  • "Non-government approved products that are marketed in a way that implies that they're safe or effective for use in preventing, curing, or treating a particular disease or ailment"
  • "Herbal and dietary supplements with active pharmaceutical or dangerous ingredients"
  • "Products that have been subject to any government or regulatory action or warning"
  • "Products with names that are confusingly similar to an unapproved pharmaceutical or supplement or controlled substance"

Where clinics trip this policy

Google also keeps a non-exhaustive list of named products, and for everything else it says: "For additional information on the unapproved or misleading pharmaceuticals and supplements monitored by Google Ads, refer to LegitScript." A product does not have to be on Google's named list to be caught. The patterns that show up most in healthcare accounts:

  • hCG in a medical weight loss program. The policy names it outright, so one hCG protocol on a landing page can take down every ad that points to it.
  • Peptides and other compounds sold as therapies. Copy that presents a non-approved compound as treating, preventing or reversing a condition matches the "Non-government approved products" line.
  • Comparisons to prescription drugs. Saying a compound works like, or as well as, a named medicine is the pattern Google describes as implying a product is "as effective as prescription drugs or controlled substances".
  • House blends named to echo a known drug, which can fall under "names that are confusingly similar".
  • The landing page, not only the ad. One of Google's fixes is to "choose a new landing page for your ad that complies with this policy", so the destination is judged too.

How to fix the ad

  1. Open the "Ads & assets" page, list every ad marked with this policy, and check the keywords and landing page behind each one.
  2. Remove the product or the claim: take hCG out of weight loss offers, drop comparisons to prescription drugs, and rewrite any line that promises to prevent, cure or treat a condition with a non-approved product.
  3. Fix the landing page as well as the ad, or point the ad to a page that complies.
  4. Save the edit. Google says "Your ad will be automatically reviewed again."
  5. Appeal only if Google got it wrong: "If you believe there's been an error and that you haven't violated Google Ads policies, appeal the policy decision directly from your Google Ads account to request a review." "Each ad is limited to 3 appeals", and Google asks you to wait at least 24 hours between appeals for the same ads.
  6. If you can't change the offer, take the ads down. Google's own advice is to "remove your ad to help prevent your account from becoming suspended in the future for repeated policy violations."

Use the warning window well

Unapproved substances runs on warnings and strikes, not instant suspension: "Violations of this policy won't lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued at least 7 days prior to any suspension of your account." Repeat violations move through Google's strike system, where "Temporary account holds will be applied for the first and second strikes (for three and seven days respectively), while the third strike will result in an account suspension."

Treat the warning as the moment to fix the whole account, not just the ad you noticed. Search your ads, keywords and landing pages for every mention of the product before the next review does it for you. If the account is suspended anyway, start with Google Ads suspended our healthcare account.

What not to do

Talk to Curve

An Unapproved substances notice is a good time to put the rest of your Google setup in order too, and Curve makes the tracking side simple. Curve's team sets up HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking in place of pixels, with identifiers SHA-256 hashed to each platform's requirements, neutral event names, and attribution kept through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane. It is typically live in about a week, with a BAA signed on every plan. To see what your site sends Google today, book a call with Curve.

How Curve helps

  • Replaces browser pixels with HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking to Google Ads, Meta Conversions API, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn, so your campaigns keep optimizing on real conversions.
  • Detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform, and hashes identifiers with SHA-256 to each platform's requirements.
  • Keeps attribution through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane, so booked patients are credited to the campaign that sent them.
  • Signs a BAA on every plan.
  • Setup is done for you by Curve's team, typically live in about a week.

Frequently asked questions

Does Google's Unapproved substances policy cover peptide therapy?

Google's list is non-exhaustive, and it covers "Non-government approved products that are marketed in a way that implies that they're safe or effective for use in preventing, curing, or treating a particular disease or ailment." If your ads or landing page market a non-approved peptide that way, expect the policy to apply. For the measurement side, see when peptide therapy ads stop getting conversions.

Can a medical weight loss clinic advertise hCG on Google?

Not for weight loss. Google names "Products containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in relation to weight loss or weight control" in the policy, and applies it regardless of any claims of legality.

Will Google suspend our account for Unapproved substances?

Not without warning. Google issues a warning at least 7 days before any suspension, and repeat violations move through strikes: account holds of three and then seven days, and suspension on the third strike.

How many times can we appeal a disapproved ad?

Each ad is limited to 3 appeals, and Google asks you to wait at least 24 hours between appeals for the same ads. Fix the ad first, and save appeals for real mistakes.

How does Curve help while we fix these ads?

Curve's team sets up HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking in place of pixels for Google Ads and your other platforms, detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform, and signs a BAA on every plan. Book a call with Curve.

Sources

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