Facebook Healthcare Ad Policies, Clause by Clause

Facebook healthcare ad policies are two sets of Meta rules. The Advertising Standards decide what a health ad can say, show and target: weight loss and cosmetic procedure ads must target people 18 or older, prescription drug ads need Meta's authorization, US addiction treatment ads need LegitScript certification, and no ad may imply it knows a viewer's health. Meta's Business Tools rules decide what your pixel or Conversions API may send: no health information at all, with extra limits for sites in Meta's Health and wellness category. Curve Compliance sends clinic conversions to Meta server-side with neutral event names and a fixed list of fields, under a BAA on every plan.

This page is the clause-by-clause reference, in Meta's words. For what changed this year and how practices adapted, read Meta health compliance for 2026 and running compliant campaigns under Meta's 2026 restrictions.

Meta's health ad clauses at a glance

Clause	Meta's rule in brief
Health and Wellness: health and wellbeing	18+ targeting for weight loss, dietary and cosmetic procedure ads; no cure claims for listed diseases; no clickbait
Health and Wellness: reproductive health	18+ targeting; health focus, not sexual pleasure
Drugs and Pharmaceuticals	Meta authorization to promote a prescription drug; LegitScript for telehealth and online pharmacies
Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment	LegitScript plus prior written permission for US ads
Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes	No asserting or implying a viewer's health
Lead ads	No health or insurance questions without prior permission
Business Tools Terms	No health information in any data sent to Meta
Data source categories	Health and wellness sites may face core setup, event or full restrictions

Book a call. Curve's team will look at what your site sends to Meta today, show you what is likely triggering a flag, and set up server-side conversions with neutral names. Book a call with Curve.

Part 1: Advertising Standards clauses for health ads

These are the Advertising Standards clauses that clinics, med spas and telehealth companies meet most often.

Health and Wellness: health and wellbeing

Meta says ads "promoting or marketing dietary, health, or weight loss or weight gain products and services must be targeted to people at least 18 years or older" (Health and Wellness policy). Per Meta's summary, weight loss ads may not show a close up of pinched fat, and weight loss and cosmetic ads may not contain "statements of inferiority about physical appearance." No health ad may claim to cure, heal or eliminate listed incurable diseases such as diabetes or cancer, or make "promises of specific outcomes within a set timeframe without disclaimers or qualifiers." For 18+ audiences, Meta allows cosmetic procedures including dermal fillers and injectable treatments, and ads that "depict before and after transformations."

For a clinic: target 18 and over, promote the treatment rather than a flaw, and qualify any timeline. See Meta rejected my ad under Health and wellness or Meta rules for med spas.

Health and Wellness: adult products and reproductive health

Ads for "sexual and reproductive health or wellness products or services, like contraception and family planning, must be targeted to people 18 years or older and must not focus on sexual pleasure" (Meta's summary). Allowed examples include products for the prevention of erectile dysfunction and the effects of menopause, as long as "the focus is on health and the medical efficacy."

For a clinic: ED and menopause ads can run for 18+ audiences when they talk about treatment, not performance; naming a prescription drug also brings in the rules below. See Meta rejected your sexual health ad.

Drugs and Pharmaceuticals: prescription drugs

"Promoting prescription drugs is not allowed without authorization from Meta," and eligibility "is limited to online pharmacies, telehealth providers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers" (Prescription Drugs policy). Telehealth providers and online pharmacies must be "actively certified with LegitScript before submitting an application," and may only target people 18 or older in the United States, Canada or New Zealand where certified. The Drugs and Pharmaceuticals standard adds that no written authorization is needed for ads that "Promote telehealth services generally."

For a telehealth clinic: an ad for online visits needs no prescription drug authorization; an ad promoting semaglutide or another prescription drug needs LegitScript and Meta's approval first. See Meta rejected your prescription drug ad and GLP-1 advertising rules in late 2026.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

To run addiction treatment ads in the US, Meta says "you'll need to be certified with LegitScript and receive prior written permission from Meta" (policy summary). The Transparency Center policy says the rule exists "To reduce risks to consumers." Meta's application guide lists "Lead generators and sober living homes (recovery residences)" as not eligible, and says physical injury rehabilitation does not need permission.

For a treatment center: get LegitScript certification and Meta's permission before launch. Campaign setup for rehab centers is covered in addiction treatment Facebook ads after 42 CFR Part 2.

Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes

Ads may not "assert or imply the personal attributes of their audience," and the list includes "physical or mental health (including medical conditions)" (policy). Meta's own health examples: "New diabetes treatment available" and "Depression counseling" are allowed; "Do you have diabetes?" and "Depression getting you down? Get help now." are not. Meta's help page adds that "you" and "your" are fine when no attribute is named.

For a clinic: describe the service, never the viewer. Rewriting clinic ads for personal attributes has a rewrite check.

Lead ads: questions you cannot ask

The lead ads rules in the Advertising Standards say "Ads must not request health information, including physical health, mental health, medical treatments, medical conditions or disabilities without our prior permission." The same rules bar requests for insurance information, "including current insurance policy numbers," without prior permission.

For a clinic: keep the instant form to contact details and a neutral question, and collect health history later on your own intake form. See Meta lead ad rejected for health questions.

Targeting: removed health interests

In November 2021, Meta said it would remove "Detailed Targeting options that relate to topics people may perceive as sensitive," such as "Lung cancer awareness" and "Chemotherapy," starting January 19, 2022 (Meta's announcement). For a clinic: condition-based interest targeting is not available. See what clinics can still target.

Part 2: Meta's health and wellness data restrictions

These rules cover the Meta Pixel, the Conversions API, offline uploads and custom audiences, which Meta calls its Business Tools.

Business Tools Terms: no health information

Under the Meta Business Tools Terms, you promise not to share data that "includes or is based on, directly or otherwise, health information, financial information, consumer report information, or other categories of sensitive information." Meta's prohibited information page lists what counts, including "Diseases, medical conditions and injuries" and "Medical procedures, treatments and testing." It says the names of your events, conversions and custom audiences "must not reflect, imply or be based on any prohibited information about people," and warns that "UTM parameters in a URL string may contain prohibited data."

For a clinic: event names, page URLs and UTM tags that name a condition or treatment are exactly what Meta tells advertisers not to send. See Meta removed potentially prohibited information.

Data source categories: Health and wellness

Meta "may assign a category to data sources, such as websites and apps" (data source categories). Its Health and wellness category covers sources "associated with medical conditions or specific health statuses, provider/patient relationships, services for accessing personal health information, or health-related products and services." You "will not be able to modify a Meta-assigned categorization," but you can ask Meta to review it (how to manage categories).

For a clinic: check the category in Events Manager before changing campaigns. See Data sharing restrictions applied and how to request a category review.

The three restriction types

For a restricted category, Meta "may limit or fully restrict the ability to share event data" (data sharing restrictions), and notes that "Meta's systems are not a substitute for your own compliance mechanisms."

Restriction	Meta's description	Meta's suggestion	Problem page
Core setup	"Restricts the sharing of custom parameters and parts of URLs following the domain."	Most campaigns should keep running; see About core setup	Core setup for health businesses
Restriction on certain standard events	"Restricts the sharing of specific mid and lower funnel events."	Consider "leveraging more upper-funnel events"	Restricted Purchase events
Full restrictions	"Fully restrict the sharing of all events in specific regions or all regions."	Optimize for Awareness, Engagements or Traffic objectives	Standard event and full restrictions

Custom events, custom conversions and custom audiences

On a restricted dataset, "custom events are automatically blocked until you review and confirm them" (reviewing custom events). Custom conversions and audiences that reference "specific health conditions, such as arthritis," get flagged, and flagged ones can't be used in new campaigns (custom conversions, custom audiences).

For a clinic: build new conversions and audiences on neutral events; renaming a blocked event is not a fix. See custom events blocked until review, custom conversion flagged and custom audience flagged.

Where Curve Compliance fits

Every data clause above comes down to what leaves your site. Curve Compliance replaces the Meta Pixel with one script and sends conversions to the Meta Conversions API from Curve's servers. Meta receives a fixed list of fields, including the site address with no page path or query string, and never page titles or form answers. Contact identifiers are off by default and SHA-256 hashed when enabled, and events can use neutral names. Curve flags PHI-like patterns, such as condition names in URLs, before data reaches an ad platform, and Event Logs show what Meta accepted.

Curve's team also goes through what your site sends to Meta with you and shows what is likely triggering a flag. Sending less is the point; server-side tracking is not a way around a category. Run the free compliance scanner to see which pixels your site loads, or read about conversion tracking and the Meta integration.

Book a call. Curve signs a BAA on every plan, and its team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Facebook's ad policies for healthcare?

Meta's Advertising Standards cover what a health ad says, shows and targets. Its Business Tools rules bar health information in anything your pixel or Conversions API sends.

Can doctors and clinics advertise on Facebook?

Yes. Meta allows health ads that follow its Advertising Standards. Some need 18+ targeting, and ads that promote prescription drugs or US addiction treatment need Meta's authorization first.

Are before and after photos allowed in Facebook ads?

For cosmetic products, procedures or surgeries, Meta allows ads that "depict before and after transformations" when the ad targets people 18 or older. Weight loss ads may never show a close up of pinched fat.

Do telehealth companies need LegitScript to run Facebook ads?

To promote a prescription drug, yes: Meta requires telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript before applying for authorization. Ads that promote telehealth services generally do not need written authorization.

What is Meta's Health and wellness category?

A data source category Meta may assign to sites tied to medical conditions, provider and patient relationships or health products and services. It can bring core setup, restrictions on certain standard events, or full restrictions.

Can I ask health questions on a Facebook lead form?

Not without Meta's prior permission. The lead ads rules bar requests for health information, including medical conditions and treatments, and for insurance information.

Does Meta sign a BAA?

No. Meta's Business Tools Terms say you will not share data with Meta that includes or is based on health information; the BAA Directory entry for Meta quotes the clause. Curve Compliance signs a BAA on every plan.