Why it happens
Prescription drugs in ad text or keywords
Prescription drugs in ad text or keywords
Naming a prescription medicine is restricted in most markets, and blocked entirely in many.
Online pharmacy without certification
Selling or dispensing medicine online needs third-party pharmacy certification accepted by Microsoft before the ads can run.
A market with stricter rules
An ad approved in one country and disapproved in another shows as Approved limited. Healthcare rules vary by country more than almost any other category.
Health claims
Promised cures, guaranteed results or before-and-after claims, which also fall under the misleading content rules.
How to fix it, step by step
See where and why
Hover over Campaigns, select Ads & extensions or Keywords, and hover over the Disapproved or Approved limited status in the Delivery column. It lists the reason and the locations affected.
Check the restricted categories rules for each market
Read the healthcare and pharmacy section of the Restricted categories policy for every country you target. Drop markets where your product cannot be advertised.
Get certified if you are a pharmacy
An online pharmacy has to hold the certification Microsoft accepts for the market before ads run. Get it first, then request an exception with the details.
Rewrite the copy
Remove prescription drug names and outcome claims from headlines, descriptions and keywords. Delete disapproved keywords and add compliant ones; saved changes go back to review.
Steps checked against Microsoft Advertising policies: Restricted categories; Microsoft Advertising Help: What does Approved Limited status mean?; Microsoft Advertising Help: How do I challenge a disapproval?.
Sprites diagnoses this
Sprites diagnoses it
Sprites shows every healthcare ad and keyword Microsoft blocked or limited, and cleans up the copy you control.
What Sprites does
- Reads the editorial status of every ad and keyword, including Approved limited, so the blocked and partly blocked ones show up together.
- Rewrites ad text without prescription drug names or outcome claims, once you approve.
- Removes disapproved keywords and adds compliant replacements as one reviewed batch.
What it doesn't do
- It does not read which locations or which policy Microsoft named. You read that in the Delivery column.
- It does not get pharmacy certification or request exceptions for you, and those decide most healthcare approvals.
Questions
Can I advertise prescription drugs on Microsoft Ads?
Only in some markets and only with the required certification. In most countries prescription drug names are restricted in ads and keywords.
What does Approved limited mean for a healthcare ad?
The ad is approved in at least one targeted location and disapproved or pending in another. Hover over the status to see which ones.
Will rewriting the ad get a pharmacy approved?
Not without certification. Copy changes clear text-level problems, but an uncertified online pharmacy stays disapproved.
Do telehealth and clinic ads count as healthcare?
Yes, they fall under the healthcare rules. Clinics and telehealth services can usually advertise, but drug names and health claims in the copy still get flagged.
See where it breaks
Connect your accounts. Sprites reads them side by side and shows you exactly where the numbers split.