Health products are one of the most restricted areas in Merchant Center. Some products can never be listed. Some can be listed only in certain countries, and only by approved sellers. Others are allowed with limits. This guide explains the structure in plain language and links to Google's own pages so you can read the rules yourself.
Last checked against Google's pages: 19 October 2026. Google changes these rules and country lists often, so always confirm on the linked page before you decide. This is general information, not legal or medical advice, and the law of each country you sell in also applies.
Where the rules are
Start with Google's Healthcare and medicines policy. The list of unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements gives examples of products that are not allowed. Google also has a troubleshooter for healthcare item-level disapprovals, and the overall Shopping ads and listings policies apply on top. Google's pages also carry notices about ads and users in Russia, so read the notice at the top of any page you rely on.
The three groups
- Not allowed anywhere. Unapproved substances, prescription drugs sold without a prescription, and prescription opioid painkillers.
- Allowed only after certification. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs from online pharmacies in certain countries, and pet pharmaceuticals. The pharmacy must be accredited by an outside program and also apply to Google.
- Allowed with limits. Some supplements, test kits and other health products, depending on the country.
Not allowed anywhere
Google says unapproved substances are not allowed regardless of any claim that they are legal. Its page covers:
- Products on its list of unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements, including products with a similar chemical makeup.
- Products that contain ephedra.
- Products with hCG promoted for weight loss or weight control, or promoted with anabolic steroids.
- Herbal and dietary supplements that contain active pharmaceutical or dangerous ingredients.
- Products that imply they work as well as prescription drugs or controlled substances.
- Products marketed as safe or effective for preventing, curing or treating a disease when they are not approved by a government.
- Products that are subject to a government or regulatory action or warning.
- Products with names that are confusingly similar to an unapproved drug, supplement or controlled substance.
- DHEA, with a limited exception for the United States (see below).
Other things that are not allowed anywhere: offering prescription drugs without a prescription, targeting places where you are not licensed as a pharmacy, and prescription opioid painkillers. Google says medication for opioid use disorder can be an exception if it meets every other prescription-drug requirement.
The examples list shows how wide this is. It names weight-loss products, "herbal" copies of well-known prescription drugs, muscle-building products, products tied to anabolic steroids, and cannabidiol (CBD) and kratom products. Check your products against that list, including look-alike names.
Prescription and behind-the-counter drugs
Google's page says prescription and behind-the-counter drugs in any country except the United States and Canada are not allowed.
- United States and Canada: prescription drugs are allowed for accredited and certified pharmacies, but not opioid painkillers.
- Behind-the-counter drugs: the page says these are allowed in the United States.
- Accreditation: the pharmacy must be accredited by the LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification and Monitoring Program, the NABP VIPPS program, or the Pharmacy Verified Websites Program (safe.pharmacy). After that it must apply to Google with the online pharmacy application form. The Canada and United States sections of the page list the programs they accept, so check them for your country.
- Pet pharmaceuticals (over-the-counter and prescription): allowed only in the United States and Canada, with the same two-step process.
Over-the-counter medicines
Google allows over-the-counter medicine from online pharmacies only in countries where a certification process exists and the seller meets it. If your country has no process, Google does not allow it. In the United States, no certification is needed for approved over-the-counter medication.
Countries listed on Google's page, with the registration it asks for (all also need Google certification, except the United States):
- Australia: registered with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia or Medicare Australia.
- Austria: registered with the Federal Agency for Safety and Health Care. Some EU/EEA pharmacies can target Austria across borders if they meet local rules and are certified by Google.
- Belgium: registered with the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products.
- Brazil: registered with ANVISA.
- Canada: accredited by LegitScript, NABP VIPPS or the .pharmacy program, plus Google certification.
- Czech Republic: registered with the State Institute for Drug Control.
- France: certified and listed as approved by the Pharmacists Guild. Some EU/EEA pharmacies can target France across borders.
- Germany: registered in the DIMDI register. Some Netherlands-based pharmacies can target Germany across borders.
- Japan: a valid license number for a marketing authorization holder.
- Netherlands: registered with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and listed on aanbiedersmedicijnen.nl.
- New Zealand: certified and listed as approved by the Ministry of Health, and the medicines offered must also be certified.
- Norway: registered with the Norwegian Medicine Agency.
- Portugal: registered with INFARMED.
- Russia (allowed with limits): licensed by Roszdravnadzor with a permit for distance trade, even for non-prescription products.
- Slovakia: registered with the State Institute of Drugs.
- Sweden: registered with the Swedish Medical Product Agency.
- United Kingdom: registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
If a country is not on Google's list, do not assume it is allowed. Read the page and the local law.
Supplements and other products, by country
Google's page gives country rules for products such as supplements. Examples as written on the page:
- United States: DHEA and melatonin are allowed with limits. Conventional foods that contain melatonin as an unapproved food additive are not allowed.
- Canada: melatonin is allowed.
- France, Germany and Spain: dietary supplements that contain melatonin are allowed under local law. Prescription melatonin products are not allowed.
- Russia: online sale of dietary supplements is not allowed. Biologically active additives are allowed only when the ad includes a required disclaimer. Baby food and breast milk supplements need required consultation text.
- Mexico: dietetic products and supplements are not allowed.
- Turkey: dietary supplements are not allowed.
- Spain: weight-loss medical procedures are not allowed, and weight-loss products are not allowed if they claim medicinal properties, promise specific results or use endorsements.
- India: products that promote or enable prenatal gender determination or pre-conception sex selection are not allowed.
- United Kingdom: a short list of named ingestible clay drinks is not allowed. Teeth whitening is not allowed if it contains more than 6% hydrogen peroxide or chemicals that release it.
- South Korea: contact lenses are not allowed.
- Russia: medical devices and tools that require special training are not allowed.
- France and New Zealand: paternity tests, including at-home kits, are not allowed.
- HIV home tests: allowed only in the United States (certain FDA-approved tests), the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (tests that meet local rules).
Google's page also covers birth control and fertility testing products, including condoms, birth control pills and emergency contraceptives. They are not allowed in these countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. Abortion-inducing drugs are not allowed in a much longer list of countries. Read the country section of the policy page for that list.
The page has no general section on ordinary medical devices or common test kits, such as pregnancy tests. If you sell these, check the local law and the item-level message in Merchant Center, and ask Google if the page does not answer your case.
What happens if a product breaks the rules
Google says violations in most of these areas do not lead to suspension without a warning, and that the warning comes at least 7 days before a suspension. In other places it says most warnings give 7 or 28 days to fix the issue. Products that break the rules can be disapproved and will not show.
Some violations are treated as egregious. Google names unauthorized pharmacies (prescription drugs without a prescription, or targeting places where you are not licensed) and prescription opioid painkillers. These can lead to suspension without a warning, and Google says you may not be allowed to list again. For repeated or egregious violations, Google says it may ban you from advertising with it.
How to check and fix your store
- List every product that is a medicine, supplement, test, device or health-related item, and write down which countries you sell it in.
- Check each product against Google's unapproved list, including look-alike names, and read the ingredients.
- Remove or reword health claims such as "cures", "treats" or "prevents" a disease unless you can support them and the product is approved where you sell it.
- For each target country, check the country rules above on Google's page and the local law.
- If you need pharmacy certification, start the accreditation and Google application before you list.
- Remove violating products from your product data and your site, then request a review if Google asks you to.
Industry practice and our recommendation
Many stores lose time because one health product sits among hundreds of normal ones. A short audit by product type and by selling country, done before you submit a feed, is cheaper than a suspension notice. A second person reading your product pages for claims, ingredients and names that look like a drug can spot problems you no longer see. This is practical advice, not a Google rule, and it cannot predict a decision.
If you have received a health-product disapproval or a suspension notice, we can help you read it and plan next steps. We review the materials you share and do not need access to your account to start. See product disapproval help and Merchant Center suspension support, read why accounts get suspended and the website requirements checklist, or browse the FAQ.
Sources
Healthcare and medicines · Unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements · Healthcare item-level troubleshooter · Shopping ads and listings policies