Short answer
As of November 9, 2026, Google's published US policy still names only LegitScript for telemedicine providers, though Google announced on November 4 that NABP's Healthcare Merchant Accreditation will become a second route once its November 2026 update is published. MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, tells a brand which certification each platform in its plan needs, and any plan with prescription drug ads on Meta starts with LegitScript, because Meta requires telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript.
What did Google change for telemedicine certification in November 2026?
Google announced a second route to telemedicine ad certification on November 4, 2026, and as of November 9, 2026 it has not yet taken effect. Google's notice says "In November 2026, the Canada, United Kingdom, and United States country-specifics of the Healthcare and medicines policy will be updated to introduce a new certification option for telemedicine." It goes on: "Going forward, telemedicine advertisers accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)'s Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program will be eligible to apply for Google Ads telemedicine certification." MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, tells each brand on the first call which certification applies to its offer under the policy as published. This page is marketing guidance, not legal advice; check the sources at the end before acting on a rule.
- Announced: Google's notice was posted on November 4, 2026 and gives the month, November 2026, but no exact date.
- Not yet published: Google's US policy text, re-checked on November 9, 2026, still names LegitScript for telemedicine providers.
- Added, not replaced: Google says the NABP route is "an additional certification option, and doesn't impact the existing certification options available to advertisers in these countries."
- Order of steps: "Advertisers will be able to apply for Google certification once the policy is published. Advertisers must be NABP-accredited before applying to Google."
- Meta: unchanged. Meta requires telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript before ads promote prescription drugs.
What does Google's US policy say for telemedicine today?
Google's US policy for telemedicine, checked on November 9, 2026, still reads: "Google allows telemedicine providers if they're accredited by LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification Program, which offers telemedicine certification to websites that provide virtual healthcare services and facilitate prescribing." The same US section already accepts NABP for online pharmacies, through NABP's Digital Pharmacy Accreditation or a .Pharmacy website under the Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program, and it adds one more step on every route: "Advertisers must also be certified with Google."
A telehealth brand that holds only NABP accreditation therefore waits for Google's US text to change before it applies, because Google's notice ties eligibility to the published policy. MedScale re-reads every policy source at least once a quarter, and sooner when a platform announces a change, as Google has here.
What is NABP's Healthcare Merchant Accreditation, and can a telehealth company apply?
NABP's Healthcare Merchant Accreditation is a program of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, and telemedicine companies can apply: NABP's eligibility page lists "Telemedicine Platforms/Companies" among the organizations that may apply. NABP says its program for telemedicine providers "demonstrates legitimacy to online advertising platforms and credit card brand networks." The application checks the brand and the businesses around it.
- Prescriber licenses: "Make sure to include all prescriber licenses in all states where you offer services."
- Telemedicine modality: applicants describe the minimum modality required in each state, because "Telemedicine modality requirements are state-specific."
- Fulfillment pharmacies: a platform that uses them, "even if that relationship is informal," must describe them, and "they will also need to comply with our program standards."
- Ten standards: licensure, adverse action, location, validity of prescription, legal compliance, privacy, contact information, website transparency, domain name registration and affiliates.
- Domain: after approval, NABP says "You must then register and make active a .pharmacy domain" to maintain accreditation.
- Renewal: "The Accreditation is renewed annually," with yearly compliance reviews after the first year.
NABP's affiliate standard reaches the whole chain of care. NABP defines affiliates to include "downstream fulfillment pharmacies, upstream telemedicine platforms, medical providers," so an NABP application checks the pharmacies that fill a brand's prescriptions as well as the brand. Neither NABP's telemedicine page nor Google's notice says whether ads must point to the .pharmacy domain or to the brand's existing site, so confirm that with Google before planning campaigns around it.
Does Meta accept NABP for telehealth ads?
Meta's policy names LegitScript, not NABP, for telehealth providers that want ads promoting prescription drugs. Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy, re-checked on November 9, 2026, says "Meta requires online pharmacies and telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript. Once they have a LegitScript certification, they must request authorization from Meta by following these steps." Certified advertisers can target only people 18 or older, only in eligible countries (United States, Canada or New Zealand) and only where they are certified. Ads that "Promote telehealth services generally" need no written authorization, so a brand without LegitScript can still run service ads on Meta, but not ads that promote a prescription drug.
What do Microsoft and TikTok accept?
Microsoft Advertising runs its own preapproval. Its healthcare policy, last updated October 5, 2026, says "Online pharmacies, telemedicine providers that sell prescription drugs, and prescription drug manufacturers must be preapproved in order to serve ads on the Microsoft Advertising network," and the process starts with its Pharmacy and Telemedicine advertiser program form. MedScale's answer on Microsoft Ads for telehealth covers that form.
TikTok's US rules already name both certifiers for pharmacies. Ads for brick-and-mortar and online pharmacies need "proof of certification by a third-party licensing organization, such as the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) or LegitScript, or regional equivalent." Prescription medicine ads on TikTok need proof of approval and certification from regulators such as the FDA, and an audience 18 or older. MedScale runs TikTok for non-prescription offers.
Should a telehealth brand choose NABP or LegitScript?
A telehealth brand should choose the certifier from the platforms it plans to run, because Google and Meta will differ once Google publishes its November 2026 update. MedScale Health tells a brand which of four cases applies on the first call.
- Google only: LegitScript works today. NABP Healthcare Merchant Accreditation will also work once Google publishes its November 2026 update, and Google's own healthcare certification is still required after either.
- Google plus prescription drug ads on Meta: LegitScript, because Meta requires telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript before prescription drug ads run, and Google's US policy accepts the same certification.
- Adding Microsoft: Microsoft's own preapproval through its Pharmacy and Telemedicine form, on top of whichever certifier the brand holds.
- Already LegitScript-certified: no change. Google calls the NABP route an additional option that doesn't impact the existing ones.
How does MedScale take a certified telehealth brand live on Google and Meta?
MedScale tells a brand which certification applies to its offer on the first call. For a brand that needs LegitScript, MedScale prepares and files the LegitScript application: a readiness review against LegitScript's published standards, the page and disclosure fixes, the filing, and answers to LegitScript's questions during the review. LegitScript makes the decision. Once the brand is certified, MedScale completes Meta's authorization and Google's healthcare certification, which are separate from LegitScript, and runs the ads the certification opens up. Service ads that promote telehealth generally can run on Meta while the application is reviewed.
A brand that isn't live yet can start with MedScale's telehealth launch plan, which puts the LegitScript and platform filings in place alongside the first campaigns and landing pages. MedScale's answer on LegitScript and Google Ads walks through Google's healthcare certification form, and its answer on online pharmacy advertising rules covers NABP for pharmacies.
Common questions
- 01Can a telehealth company get Google Ads certification with NABP instead of LegitScript?
- Not yet, as of November 9, 2026. Google announced on November 4 that NABP-accredited telemedicine advertisers will be eligible to apply for Google Ads telemedicine certification once its November 2026 policy update is published. Until then, Google's US policy names LegitScript for telemedicine providers.
- 02Does NABP accreditation work for Meta ads?
- Not for a telehealth provider. Meta requires online pharmacies and telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript and then authorized by Meta before ads promote prescription drugs. Ads that promote telehealth services generally need no written authorization.
- 03Do you need a .pharmacy domain for NABP Healthcare Merchant Accreditation?
- Yes, to hold it. NABP says approved telemedicine providers must register and make active a .pharmacy domain to maintain accreditation, and that accreditation begins once the domain is active. Neither NABP nor Google says whether the ads must point to that domain.
- 04When can telehealth brands apply to Google with NABP?
- Once Google publishes the update. Google says advertisers will be able to apply for Google certification once the policy is published, and must be NABP-accredited before they apply. The notice gives November 2026 but no exact date, so check Google's US policy text before filing.
- 05Does a brand that already has LegitScript need NABP too?
- No. Google describes NABP as an additional certification option that doesn't impact the existing ones, and Meta still requires LegitScript before a telehealth provider's ads promote prescription drugs. A LegitScript-certified brand keeps its current Google and Meta route.
- 06Does Google certification still apply on top of NABP or LegitScript?
- Yes. Google's US policy says advertisers must also be certified with Google after the outside accreditation, and Google's NABP notice says accredited advertisers will be eligible to apply for Google Ads telemedicine certification once the policy is published. MedScale completes Google's healthcare certification once a brand is certified.
Sources
- 01Google Ads: Update to Healthcare and Medicines Policy (November 2026), posted November 4, 2026 (NABP option for telemedicine)checked November 9, 2026
- 02Google Ads policy: Healthcare and medicines, United States section (telemedicine and online pharmacies)checked November 9, 2026
- 03NABP: Healthcare Merchant Accreditation for Telemedicine Providerschecked November 9, 2026
- 04NABP: Healthcare Merchant Accreditation (maintaining accreditation, .pharmacy domain, annual renewal)checked November 9, 2026
- 05NABP: Healthcare Merchant Accreditation eligibility requirements and standardschecked November 9, 2026
- 06Meta Advertising Standards: Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (prescription drugs, LegitScript for telehealth providers)checked November 9, 2026
- 07Microsoft Advertising policy: Healthcare and Pharmaceutical (last updated Oct 5, 2026)checked November 9, 2026
- 08TikTok Ads policy: Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals (United States section)checked November 9, 2026
Related answers
LegitScript and Google Ads: Which Do You Need, and How Do You Apply?
As of November 2026, a US telehealth provider or online pharmacy needs two certifications to advertise prescription drug services on Google, in order: LegitScript (or NABP, for a pharmacy) first, then Google's own healthcare certification. MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, files both in that order and has Google's form ready the day the LegitScript certificate lands. Google's form, Apply for healthcare-related advertising, is filed from the child Google Ads account with its customer ID and the certified domain.
Reviewed November 9, 2026
What Are the Rules for Advertising an Online Pharmacy?
As of November 2026, a US online pharmacy needs third-party certification before it advertises on Google, Meta, Microsoft or TikTok: LegitScript or NABP for Google, Microsoft and TikTok, LegitScript only for Meta, then each platform's own approval. MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, helps telehealth brands and their pharmacy partners pick the certifier and file each platform's approval. On TikTok, ads for prescription medicine also need proof of FDA approval.
Reviewed November 9, 2026
Who Needs LegitScript Certification to Advertise Telemedicine?
As of November 2026, US telemedicine providers need LegitScript certification before Google or Meta will run their prescription-drug advertising, and online pharmacies need it for Meta and LegitScript or NABP for Google. MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, treats certification as a launch dependency, because campaigns planned around an uncertified account will not deliver. Google names LegitScript as the accreditation for US telemedicine providers, and Meta requires active LegitScript certification plus its own authorization to promote a prescription drug.
Reviewed November 9, 2026
How Do You Get Meta's Authorization to Advertise Prescription Drugs?
As of October 2026, a telehealth provider or online pharmacy gets Meta's authorization to advertise prescription drugs in two steps: active LegitScript Healthcare Certification, then a request in the Authorizations and verifications tab of Meta Business Suite using the certified URL. MedScale Health, a paid ads agency for US telehealth brands and clinics, files both steps for its clients. Meta says the answer comes right away, and authorized ads may only target people 18 and over in the United States, Canada or New Zealand.
Reviewed October 24, 2026
Last reviewed November 9, 2026. Platform policies change often; we re-verify every answer quarterly.