What Is LegitScript Certification and Who Needs It?

Who needs LegitScript certification to advertise?

Telehealth brands and online pharmacies that want to promote prescription drugs on Meta need it first. Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy says "Meta requires online pharmacies and telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript," and that once certified they must request authorization from Meta. Certified advertisers can then target people 18 or older in the countries where they are certified, and the United States is one of three eligible countries. Ads that promote telehealth services generally, without promoting a drug, need no written authorization. MedScale Health runs those service ads first and adds drug-name ads once certification and Meta's authorization are in place.

Other platforms name LegitScript in narrower places. Microsoft Advertising requires advertisers of drug or alcohol addiction services, such as rehab facilities and sober living facilities, to be certified by LegitScript, and requires online pharmacies and telemedicine providers that sell prescription drugs to be preapproved through its own program. TikTok's United States rules ask brick-and-mortar and online pharmacies for proof of certification by NABP, LegitScript or a regional equivalent. LegitScript's own FAQ calls its certification "a necessary part of the approval process for conducting card-not-present transactions with Visa and Mastercard and for advertising on Google and Bing." The overview of which treatments need certification on each platform goes service by service.

Some businesses can't apply at all. LegitScript's FAQ lists in-person-only clinics that do not offer telemedicine prescribing or process card-not-present payments for prescription drugs as generally not eligible, along with supplement-only businesses, medical device businesses and research-use-only chemical businesses, peptides included. Whether an in-person practice needs LegitScript has its own answer.

Does LegitScript certification get every health ad approved?

LegitScript certification does not get every ad approved. LegitScript's FAQ lists eligibility to advertise on platforms such as Google, Meta, Netflix, LinkedIn, TikTok and Microsoft Bing as a benefit, "subject to each platform's advertising policies", and its healthcare page tells businesses that each platform and social network has its own ad policies and requirements. On Meta, a certified telehealth brand still needs Meta's authorization, a disclaimer to consult a licensed health professional or obtain a valid prescription, and copy that clears Meta's personal attributes policy, which bars ads that assert or imply a person's physical or mental health. MedScale checks every ad and landing page against the named platform rule before it is submitted.

How do you check if a website is LegitScript certified?

LegitScript runs a public lookup. Its status page says, "Enter a website to see if it is LegitScript-certified, legitimate, or rogue," and covers websites in healthcare, addiction treatment and CBD. Healthcare certification applies to the root domain, so if example.com is certified, LegitScript's FAQ says shop.example.com and support.example.com are covered under the same certification. The guide on how to verify a LegitScript certification covers what to check before relying on a partner's seal. MedScale Health runs that lookup on a brand's own domain and its pharmacy partners in its LegitScript readiness review.

Can peptide sellers get LegitScript certified?

Peptide sellers can qualify for six peptides since November 2, 2026, under conditions. LegitScript says it "has updated its certification review approach, effective November 2, 2026" to reflect an HHS enforcement discretion policy for 503A compounding of BPC-157 acetate, TB-500 acetate, Epitalon acetate, Semax free base, KPV acetate and MOTS-C acetate. In LegitScript's words, "offering one of these peptides should not, by itself, prevent a merchant from achieving certification when the offering meets the enforcement discretion policy's conditions" and all other certification standards and laws.

The update has limits. 503B outsourcing facilities are not covered, only formulations with a single active ingredient qualify, and LegitScript says "Combinations such as BPC-157 with TB-500 or semaglutide do not meet that requirement." Offering other peptides outside the policy "remains a barrier to certification," and research-use-only peptide businesses stay generally ineligible. LegitScript also says "Advertising platforms and payment providers set their own policies, which may differ from LegitScript's requirements," so MedScale Health checks what Meta allows for peptides before it builds a campaign for a certified peptide clinic.

How does MedScale help a brand get LegitScript certified?

MedScale's LegitScript service starts with eligibility: the business type, the locations served and the scope of care, which is the first step in LegitScript's own process. MedScale then gathers what LegitScript asks for before an application, including business and professional licenses, registration details, DEA information where it applies, a privacy policy, the compliance status of every affiliate and partner pharmacy, and descriptions of the offerings, marketing claims and ads. Service ads that promote telehealth generally can run on Meta while the application is reviewed, and the Meta authorization request follows certification. New telehealth brands can start with MedScale's launch plan, which puts certification ahead of the first prescription drug ad.