Advertising rules for medical weight loss clinics

Sell the visit, not the drug.

Weight loss clinics can advertise the visit on Meta to adults 18 and older, and on Google, where telehealth prescribing needs certification first. On Meta, naming the drug takes LegitScript and Meta's authorization; TikTok bars creator posts for clinics.

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18+on every Meta weight loss ad, and on any TikTok weight loss claim
30FDA warning letters to telehealth companies over compounded GLP-1 claims, March 3, 2026
15 lbswhere the FTC wants the typical result beside a testimonial
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For a medical weight loss clinic, a compliant ad sells the visit, the clinician and the program, to adults 18 and older on Meta. A Meta ad names the drug only with LegitScript certification and Meta's written authorization, which Meta grants only to online pharmacies, telehealth providers and manufacturers; a Google ad may name it in US ad copy, but bidding on it takes certification. A compounded GLP-1 is never called generic, the same as a brand, or FDA-approved, and a patient story over 15 pounds carries what patients typically lose. On TikTok, creators cannot promote a weight loss clinic at all.

Weight loss, prescription tier

Four rules on every GLP-1 ad.

  • Program or drugOn Meta, only the drug ad needs LegitScript and Meta's authorization. On Google, prescribing by telehealth needs LegitScript and Google's certification before any ad runs.
  • 18+18-plus on every weight loss ad on Meta, and on any weight loss claim on TikTok.
  • CompoundedCompounded is never "generic", "the same as" a brand, "FDA-approved", or from an "FDA-approved pharmacy".
  • TestimonialsA testimonial over 15 pounds, or two pounds a week for a month, carries what patients typically lose. "Results not typical" is not enough.
A glowing molecule stopped against a pane of glass that lights up orange where it touches
Why weight loss ads get rejected

Five lines that get flagged.

  • A statement about their body. Meta bans weight loss ads with "statements of inferiority about physical appearance".
  • Pinched fat. Meta bans weight loss ads that show a "Close up on specific body area by pinching fat".
  • A deadline on the result. "Down 20 pounds by summer" is a specific outcome in a set timeframe, which Meta bans without a qualifier. TikTok bans suggesting weight loss is "easy or guaranteed".
  • The drug, without the paperwork. Bidding on semaglutide, tirzepatide, Ozempic or Wegovy needs Google certification.
  • Compounded sold as the brand. FDA's June 8, 2026 warning letter quoted one telehealth company's line "offers the same results but at a fraction of the cost of brand names such as Ozempic, Mounjaro & Wegovy".
The rules, with dates

What each platform says, word for word.

18+Meta: "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."Meta Health and Wellness policy, change log Jul 22, 2026
LegitScriptMeta: prescription weight loss needs active LegitScript certification, Meta's authorization, 18-plus, and only the US, Canada or New Zealand.Meta Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy
KeywordsGoogle: "you must be certified in order to keyword-target these terms."Google Ads Restricted drug terms and drug list
NoTikTok: branded content for "weight loss clinics" is prohibited, and ads for "drugs for the purpose of ... weight loss" are not allowed.TikTok Branded Content Policy (Aug 31, 2026) and ad policy on drugs

Program ad or drug ad: what changes

Read at the source, 26 September 2026
Your ad sells the program
Your ad names the drug
Meta
Can run, 18+

18-plus. No written authorization needed to promote telehealth services generally.

Paperwork first

Everything on the left, plus LegitScript, Meta's authorization and a disclaimer to consult a licensed health professional.

Google
Can run

Search on the visit and the program. A clinic that prescribes by telehealth needs LegitScript and Google's certification first.

Certify to bid

The drug name can appear in US ads and pages; bidding on it needs certification.

TikTok
18+ limits

Weight claims 18-plus only, and no claim the product alone does it.

Not allowed

TikTok's ad policy does not allow drugs for the purpose of weight loss.

What it costs
In person: no fee

No certification fee for an in-person clinic. A clinic that prescribes by telehealth pays LegitScript's fees (right) before its Google ads run.

$975 to apply

LegitScript: $975 per website to apply, then $2,150 a year, and $2,500 more for expedited review.

Platform lines read on each source's own page on 26 September 2026. LegitScript fees from its healthcare certification page, read 26 September 2026. LegitScript sets and changes them; confirm the current figure before you apply.

Program ad or drug ad? We read the ad, the page and every drug name before anything spends.

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Same clinic, two ads

One line decides it.

Meta bans questions "that are negative and attack an individual's appearance, specific body parts, or hygiene." Its personal attributes rule also bans copy that implies it knows the viewer's health, so "Hate your belly?" breaks the first rule, and in our reading "Tired all the time?" breaks the second, while "Medical weight loss, led by a clinician" runs. Both ads are illustrations, not a client's account.

PELORA example ad · Sponsored
“Hate your belly?”
Rejected
It attacks appearance and a body part, which Meta bans.
PELORA example ad · Sponsored
“Medical weight loss, led by a clinician”
Runs
It describes the service: no appearance, no body part, nothing about the viewer's health.
What we do differently

Every weight loss post, read by a person.

A person reads every ad and creator post against Meta's two policies, Google's drug list, TikTok's rules and FDA's compounded drug claims, two rounds, before permission is requested. For prescription products it is a drug-ad review, so a creator program for one adds $1,000 a month.

PELORA reviewRound 2 of 2
  • ClaimsNo cure, reverse or guarantee.
  • ConsentWritten marketing authorization from every patient shown, separate from treatment consent, on file with the ad.
  • DisclosureA patient given a free month or discount says so; the FTC counts that as a material connection.
  • The pageThe landing page says what the monthly price covers. The FTC alleged one GLP-1 program advertised $138 or $188 a month without saying the drug, labs and consult cost extra.
Map of the United States with Newport Beach, California marked
Where we work

Newport Beach office. Clients anywhere.

For online pharmacies, Google suspends accounts without warning for "Targeting locations where you are not licensed", and a telehealth program advertises only where its prescribers are licensed. We work remote from Newport Beach with clinics nationwide.

CaliforniaFloridaTexasArizonaNevadaColoradoNew YorkAnywhere in the US
Related

Go deeper.

Weight loss marketingOur system for weight loss clinicsCreators for weight lossWho they are and what they can sayThe full rulebookMeta, Google, LegitScript, FDA, with dates
Questions

Asked by weight loss clinics.

What is Meta's advertising policy for medical weight loss ads in 2026?
Weight loss ads must target 18 and older, with no statements of inferiority about appearance, no close-up of pinched fat, and no specific outcome in a set timeframe without a qualifier. Dietary weight loss ads may show the product's impact and the time it took. Prescription weight loss follows Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy: LegitScript certification, Meta's authorization, and only the US, Canada or New Zealand.
How do we get a weight loss ad approved on Facebook?
Sell the visit, not the drug: target 18-plus, write about the consult, the labs and the clinician instead of the viewer's body, and put a qualifier on any result. Name semaglutide or tirzepatide only once you hold LegitScript certification and Meta's authorization. If an ad is still rejected, we change the line the reason names and resubmit.
Can a weight loss clinic run Google Ads?
Yes. In the US the drug name can appear in the ad and on the page without certification, but you must be certified to bid on it as a keyword, and semaglutide, tirzepatide, Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound and phentermine are all on Google's monitored list. Telemedicine that prescribes needs LegitScript.
Can we run before-and-after photos for weight loss?
On Meta, only for dietary weight loss products and services: an ad to adults may show the product's impact, never a close-up of pinched fat, and prescription weight loss falls under Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy instead. TikTok bars before-and-after results in ads that may give viewers a false or distorted impression of the outcome. The FTC says a before-and-after with a line like I lost 50 pounds implies that result is typical, so the ad must say what patients generally lose.
Can we say compounded semaglutide is the same as Ozempic?
No. FDA lists calling a compounded drug a generic version of, or the same as, an FDA-approved drug as false or misleading, along with calling it FDA-approved or saying it comes from an FDA-approved pharmacy.
Can creators promote our weight loss clinic on TikTok?
No. TikTok's Branded Content Policy, effective August 31, 2026, prohibits branded content for weight loss products or services, naming weight loss clinics, and it counts gifted and affiliate posts as branded content. We build weight loss creator work on Instagram and Facebook instead.
Do we need LegitScript for a weight loss clinic?
If you prescribe by telehealth, or want to promote the drug in Meta ads, yes: Meta requires telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript, and Google allows telemedicine providers that LegitScript accredits. An in-person clinic whose ads sell the visit and never promote the drug usually does not.
Do you work with medical weight loss clinics outside California?
Yes: we run this from Newport Beach and work remote with clinics across the United States, and we get calls from Florida. Platform rules are the same in every state; license rules differ, and we read both. A telehealth program advertises only where its prescribers are licensed.

Sources, all read on September 26, 2026: Meta Transparency Center, Health and Wellness (change log Jul 22, 2026) and Drugs and Pharmaceuticals; Google Ads, Restricted drug terms, the prescription drug list, Healthcare and medicines, and Unauthorized pharmacies; TikTok Weight Management and Body Image (September 2026), Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals (September 2026), Misleading and False Content (April 2026), Dangerous Products or Services (April 2025) and the Branded Content Policy (effective August 31, 2026); FDA release of March 3, 2026, FDA to Telehealth Companies: What to Know When Promoting Compounded Drugs (current as of June 15, 2026), warning letter 728274 of June 8, 2026, and the September 9, 2025 advertising release; FTC Gut Check, Endorsement Guides (16 CFR 255), and the NextMed complaint (July 2025) and final order (December 2025); LegitScript healthcare certification fees.

Before the next campaign

Get the account read first.

Fifteen minutes. Bring the rejected ad, or the one you are afraid to run. We will name the line and what runs instead.

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