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Ad Account Rescue

Snapchat rejected our weight loss injectable or prescription ad

The notice
All advertisers of prescription medicines must be pre-approved by Snap and may be required to submit proof of authorization to advertise the medicine in the applicable jurisdiction.
On this page

Snapchat rejected the ad because prescription medicine ads need pre-approval from Snap before they can run, and Snap counts weight loss injectables as prescription medicine. A GLP-1 program therefore goes through Snap's Health Related Products & Services Advertiser Form first. In the United States, prescription medicine ads "cannot target Washington State", and any ad that references weight loss must target 18+ and avoid unrealistic claims, before-and-after comparisons and body shaming. Get pre-approved, fix the targeting and creative, then update the ad in Ads Manager.

Curve Compliance helps telehealth and weight loss brands measure every patient they win. Curve's team replaces browser pixels with HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking for Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn, detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform, and keeps attribution through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane. It is typically live in about a week, with a BAA signed on every plan. Book a call with Curve.

What Snap requires for prescription ads

Snap's health section starts with a principle: "Ads for health related products and services must only promote those products or services that have been approved by the local regulatory authorities in each of the countries targeted." For prescription medicines:

  • "All advertisers of prescription medicines must be pre-approved by Snap and may be required to submit proof of authorization to advertise the medicine in the applicable jurisdiction." The starting point is the Health Related Products & Services Advertiser Form.
  • Prescription medicine ads can target only a listed set of countries, which includes the United States and Canada.
  • "In the United States, prescription medicines cannot target Washington State."
  • "Weight loss injectables are considered prescription medication and must follow the process outlined above."

Weight loss creative rules

"Ads for diet, fitness, and weight loss products or services must be socially responsible. Ads that reference weight loss must be targeted 18+. Weight loss supplements are not permitted." Approvable ads in the category must not:

  • "Contain over-exaggerated, unhealthy, or unrealistic claims." Snap's examples include "You can lose weight without making any modifications to your diet." and "Drop 2 dress sizes in a week!"
  • "Contain "before and after" or side-by-side comparison images depicting a person's weight loss."
  • "Demean the user or shame anyone on the basis of body shape or size." Snap includes "promoting the concept of a perfect body".
  • "Mislead or inaccurately describe the qualities and characteristics of a product, including any associated health and nutritional claims or relevant authority approval, such as the FDA in the United States."

Forms, pharmacies and supplements

  • Lead forms: "Ads may not collect sensitive information or special category data", which includes "health information, including any "protected health information" or "consumer health data"". Keep clinical questions for your own intake.
  • Privacy: "The advertiser's privacy policy must be readily accessible where any personal information is collected."
  • Online pharmacies: "in the United States and Canada online pharmacies must be verified by the National Association of Board of Pharmacies (NABP)."
  • Supplements: health and wellness supplement advertisers must also be pre-approved, and ads must not "Promote weight loss supplements, including fat burners and appetite suppressants."

Fix the ad

  1. Find the reason. In Ads Manager, open Manage Ads, select Ads, and hover over the icon next to the rejected ad; or open Creative Library and click the rejected ad.
  2. Submit the Health Related Products & Services Advertiser Form, with proof of authorization for the medicine and each country you target.
  3. Exclude Washington State from US prescription campaigns, and restrict any weight loss ad to 18+.
  4. Rewrite the creative: no exaggerated results, no before-and-after or side-by-side images, no body shaming, and no implied FDA approval the product doesn't have.
  5. Resubmit. "Majority of ads are reviewed within 8 hours, although depending on a variety of factors, it may take longer." Snap recommends submitting ahead of your start date.

Other platforms with the same rules

Several platforms treat GLP-1 ads as a prescription category with its own approval step. See Pinterest's GLP-1 prior permission, TikTok's Weight Management and Body Image policy and Microsoft's weight loss rules.

Talk to Curve

While Snap reviews your application, your other channels keep bringing in patients, and Curve makes sure you can see which ones. Curve's team sets up HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking in place of browser pixels for Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn, with neutral event names, identifiers SHA-256 hashed to each platform's requirements, consent management and attribution kept through your booking tool. It is typically live in about a week, with a BAA signed on every plan. Book a call with Curve.

How Curve helps

  • Replaces browser pixels with HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking for Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn.
  • Detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform, and uses neutral event names.
  • Hashes identifiers with SHA-256 to each platform's requirements, and includes consent management.
  • Keeps attribution through booking tools such as IntakeQ, Calendly and Jane.
  • Signs a BAA on every plan, with setup done for you by Curve's team, typically live in about a week.

Frequently asked questions

Can a telehealth company advertise GLP-1 medication on Snapchat?

With pre-approval. Snap says "Weight loss injectables are considered prescription medication", and all prescription medicine advertisers must be pre-approved by Snap, which may ask for proof of authorization.

Why can't our Snapchat prescription ads target Washington?

Snap's policy says "In the United States, prescription medicines cannot target Washington State." Exclude it from every US prescription campaign.

Can a Snapchat lead form ask patients about their health?

No. Snap says ads may not collect health information, including protected health information or consumer health data.

How long does Snapchat take to review an ad?

Snap says the majority of ads are reviewed within 8 hours, although it may take longer, and edits to approved ads may send them back to review.

How does Curve help while we wait for Snap?

Curve's team sets up HIPAA-compliant, server-side conversion tracking for Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft and LinkedIn, keeps attribution through your booking tool, and signs a BAA on every plan. Book a call with Curve.

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