ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Clinical trial recruitment
Google Ads restricts ads that recruit people for clinical trials. Most locations are closed to these ads, and the policy lists the places where they may run. Inside a permitted location, the ad cannot promote prescription drugs, create misleading expectations about the tested product or suggest that it is safe. Remove the locations not on the list, then edit the copy.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The ad stops serving in any location where the policy applies.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Google issues a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.
What it means
Google restricts ads and destinations that promote clinical trial recruitment. The policy lists the countries where such ads may run, and most locations are not among them.
Inside a permitted location the ad is still held to rules. It cannot promote prescription drugs, cannot create misleading expectations about what is being tested, and cannot suggest that the tested products are safe.
What actually triggers it
A recruitment ad that reaches a location off the list
A campaign targeting a location outside the permitted list is disapproved for that location. A broad area in the targeting can include one without the advertiser picking it.
An ad that names the prescription drug under study
Inside a permitted location, a recruitment ad that names the prescription drug being studied breaks the rule.
Wording that calls the tested product safe
Copy that suggests a tested product is safe, or sets expectations about what it will do, breaks the rule in a permitted location. The page's limit covers the claim, not only the drug name.
A Display & Video 360 campaign
Display & Video 360 users must also comply, and that product's help center lists additional restrictions. A campaign built there is checked against both.
Fix it in this order
- In Google Ads, go to Ads under the Campaigns menu, and find each disapproved ad or asset.
- Remove every location outside the permitted list from the targeting. This is the first step, because a permitted location still needs the copy fixed.
- Hover over the ad or asset, select Edit, revise it to comply and select Save. Re-review typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
- If the business qualifies for healthcare advertising in a permitted location, apply through the link for healthcare-related advertising, with one application for each location group.
- If an ad cannot be fixed, remove it to help prevent future suspensions for repeated violations.
When to appeal
Appeal from the account when the ad is in a permitted location and does not name a prescription drug, make a safety claim or set expectations about the product.
An appeal does not change the targeting. Remove the locations that are off the list first, then appeal.
Often confused with
That page is about who advertises medicines and where. This one is about recruiting people into a study, and it works from the permitted location list.
Birth control, fertility, and testing
Also location-based, with a list of closed countries. Clinical trial recruitment is closed in most places and open only in a named set, so the two lists work in opposite directions.