Advertising GLP-1s, Testosterone and Peptides in 2026: What Clinics Can and Can't Do

Last reviewed: November 4, 2026

If you prescribe online, Google treats you as a telemedicine or prescription drug service, and you need certification before your ads can run, whether or not the ad names a drug. Bidding on drug-name keywords needs separate approval. Meta has its own authorization on top of LegitScript. Compounded GLP-1s are now tightly limited, and the FDA has sent several waves of warning letters about how telehealth companies describe them. Telehealth prescribing of testosterone without an in-person visit is authorized through December 31, 2026. And the FTC has acted against a GLP-1 telehealth company for misrepresenting costs and hiding membership and billing terms.

This guide is for practice owners and telehealth founders planning a GLP-1, hormone or peptide program. It summarizes the rules we work within when we build these campaigns. It's a planning guide, not legal advice, so have counsel review your claims before launch.

The short version

LegitScript certification

For telehealth providers and online pharmacies, LegitScript certification is the gate for advertising prescription drugs and telehealth prescribing services on Google and Meta. Reviewers look at your licensing, the states you serve and how your site discloses them, your prescribing practices, your partner pharmacies and other affiliates, your privacy practices and your legal and regulatory history.

What slows applications down, in our experience:

• A storefront that doesn't match the site. If your telehealth platform's checkout page still shows template text, other brands' disclaimers or products you don't offer, fix it before applying.
• State lists that disagree. The states listed on your site, in your platform settings and in your application should be identical.
• Missing disclosures. Telemedicine disclosures, privacy policy and terms should be live and easy to find.
• Too many programs at once. Applying with one or two programs is usually faster than applying with your full menu. Add programs after approval.
• Showing a badge before you're certified. Don't publish a "LegitScript certified" badge until you actually are.

In our experience, plan for weeks, not days. LegitScript doesn't publish a standard review time, though it sells expedited review. In one GLP-1 telehealth engagement, campaigns launched only after certification and a landing page rebuild were complete.

Primary source: LegitScript: Healthcare Merchant Certification

Google Ads

Google has two separate rules that matter here:

• Prescription drug services. Google restricts ads for services related to online prescribing, dispensing and selling prescription drugs, and names telemedicine providers specifically. It decides whether you're in scope from your ads, your site and the services you offer, and it says it errs on the side of caution with landing pages that appear to facilitate online prescribing. If you're in scope, you must be certified before your ads serve, whether or not the ad names a drug. In the US, Google only allows telemedicine providers that are accredited by LegitScript. (Google: prescription drug services)
• Drug-name keywords. Bidding on keywords that contain prescription drug terms requires certification. In the US, ads and landing pages can mention prescription drug names without it, subject to local law, but telemedicine providers and online pharmacies need certification either way. (Google: restricted drug terms)

What that means in practice:

• A telehealth program that prescribes online can't get around certification by leaving drug names out of the ad.
• Google's rule covers online prescribing, and its policy pages don't mention in-person care. An in-person clinic advertising office visits should keep online prescribing off its ads and landing page, because Google judges scope from your ads, site and services and errs on the side of caution.
• Google doesn't allow ads for products subject to government or regulatory action or warnings, which is a real risk for compounded GLP-1s and some peptides.
• ED and sexual health ads can't focus on sexual pleasure or enhancement.

For campaign structure and keywords, see our guide to Google Ads for medical weight loss clinics.

Primary source: Google: Healthcare and medicines policy

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

• Prescription drug ads from telehealth providers and online pharmacies require active LegitScript certification plus Meta's own authorization. Ads that promote telehealth services generally, without promoting a prescription drug, don't need Meta's written permission.
• Geography and age: prescription drug ads can only target the US, Canada or New Zealand, only countries where you're certified, and only people 18 and older.
• Audiences: Meta's Business Tools Terms bar sending health information through your pixel, and say event and audience names can't reflect or imply it. Meta also flags custom audiences that suggest specific health conditions and blocks them from new campaigns. If your practice is covered by HIPAA, HHS says you can't use tracking tools in a way that discloses protected health information to the vendor.
• Imagery: Meta's health and wellness policy lets ads for dietary weight loss products and services, shown only to people 18 and older, illustrate people using the product and its impact, as long as the ad clearly says how long the results took. It still bans close-ups pinching body fat and clickbait, such as promises of specific results in a set time without qualifiers. Prescription weight loss drugs fall under the drugs and pharmaceuticals policy.
• Check Meta's current rules for your exact service before launch. Eligibility depends on who you are and where the ad sends people, not only on the ad text. (Meta: drugs and pharmaceuticals)

More on creative and targeting in our guide to Meta ads for GLP-1 practices.

Primary source: Meta: Health and wellness ad standards

FDA: compounded GLP-1s

• The shortages are over. Tirzepatide came off the FDA shortage list in late 2024 and semaglutide in early 2025. The grace periods for compounding pharmacies ended in spring 2025.
• Compounding is now limited. A state-licensed pharmacy can't compound copies of an FDA-approved drug regularly or in large amounts. A compounded drug isn't treated as a copy if the prescriber determines and documents that a change makes a significant difference for that patient. FDA says it won't currently act against a pharmacy that fills four or fewer prescriptions of a copy in a month. Outsourcing facilities can't compound semaglutide or tirzepatide from bulk ingredients while neither is on FDA's shortage list or 503B bulks list. (FDA: policies for compounders as GLP-1 supply stabilizes)

FDA has sent several waves of warning letters to telehealth sellers: in September 2025, March 2026 and June 2026. The common themes:

• claiming or implying compounded drugs are the same as, or generic versions of, FDA-approved products, or are FDA approved themselves
• putting the telehealth company's name on a compounded drug, which implies it's the compounder and hides who actually makes it
• calling a compounded drug clinically proven, or calling the compounding pharmacy FDA approved or FDA licensed

(FDA: March 2026 warnings to 30 telehealth companies)

Phrases to never use: "generic Wegovy," "same as Ozempic," "FDA-approved semaglutide" or "clinically proven" (for a compounded product), "FDA-approved pharmacy," or a branded name for a compounded drug. Do name the pharmacy that actually compounds it.

Some large telehealth brands have shifted their focus to branded GLP-1s. For a new program, leading with FDA-approved branded drugs, including the new oral GLP-1 pills, is the simplest path through review.

Primary source: FDA: What telehealth companies should know when promoting compounded drugs

DEA: testosterone and other controlled substances

• Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance.
• Telehealth prescribing of controlled substances without a prior in-person visit is authorized through December 31, 2026 under the current DEA and HHS extension. (Federal Register: fourth temporary extension of telemedicine flexibilities)
• A final special-registration rule has been under White House review since August 25, 2026 and isn't public yet. (OIRA review record)

What this means for ads: don't promise "never see a doctor in person" for testosterone. Patients started by video now may need an in-person evaluation in 2027 unless the rule or another extension says otherwise. Build your intake so you can add that step without rebuilding the program.

Peptides

Compounding status varies by peptide and is still changing. One thing to understand first: FDA's 503A "Category 1" list is an interim enforcement policy for bulk substances under evaluation. It isn't FDA approval, and it isn't blanket permission to compound or to advertise. (FDA: 503A bulk drug substances)

• Glutathione is listed in Category 1. That puts it under FDA's interim policy, not an approval.
• NAD+ is also listed in Category 1 on FDA's current list. One salt form is in Category 3, so confirm the exact ingredient with your pharmacy.
• Sermorelin doesn't appear on FDA's 503A category lists. Confirm its status with your pharmacy and counsel.
• BPC-157 was on the agenda of FDA's July 2026 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, and FDA's own briefing proposed not adding it to the 503A bulks list. In October 2026, HHS published a draft policy saying it won't take enforcement action against pharmacies and physicians that compound certain peptides listed in the policy, under set conditions, while FDA writes the bulks list rule. The policy isn't binding, HHS can revisit it if safety or quality problems come up, and it isn't FDA approval. Don't advertise BPC-157 until counsel confirms it's covered, your pharmacy meets the policy's conditions and the ad platform allows it. (Federal Register: HHS peptide enforcement discretion policy)

Market peptide programs around the supervised program, the physician and the monitoring, not around claims about what a specific peptide does. Google doesn't allow ads for products that aren't government approved when they're marketed as safe or effective for treating a disease, or for products that have been subject to a government or regulatory warning.

Primary source: FDA: 503A bulk drug substance category lists

FTC: prices, results and billing

In December 2025 the FTC finalized an order against NextMed, a GLP-1 telehealth company. The FTC alleged it sold weight-loss programs with undisclosed costs and membership commitments, made unsupported weight-loss claims, used fake testimonials, distorted customer reviews and didn't process cancellation and refund requests promptly. The order prohibits misrepresenting the cost of telehealth services or what the price includes. It requires clear disclosure of refund and cancellation terms, including any early termination fee, before payment, and informed consent before billing. (FTC: NextMed final order)

The order doesn't say every advertised price must be all-inclusive. It does require, before taking billing details, a clear statement of every charge and any other required costs. The practical lesson for any program:

• If you advertise "$99/month" and the medication or a membership costs extra, say so clearly in the ad and on the page.
• Disclose the regular price alongside any first-month promotion.
• Support any "typical results" claim with real evidence, and only use real testimonials.
• Make recurring billing, cancellation and refund terms clear before checkout.

Primary source: FTC: NextMed case page, with the complaint and decision and order

At-home lab testing

If your program bundles at-home lab kits, check state rules. New York only allows direct-to-consumer testing for tests that have an FDA-approved over-the-counter equivalent, through a lab with a New York permit. Rhode Island requires a documented request from a licensed physician or other authorized medical personnel. Other states have their own rules. Confirm with your lab partner which states it covers and who orders each test. Avoid "no doctor needed" claims.

Primary source: New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center: Direct access testing

A pre-launch checklist

• LegitScript application submitted with one or two programs, and storefront cleaned up first
• State list identical across site, platform and application
• Telemedicine disclosure, privacy policy and terms live
• If you prescribe online: Google certification approved before any campaign launches, not just before drug-name ads
• Drug-name keywords only after prescription drug services approval
• Meta authorization confirmed for your exact service
• Compounded products (if any) described accurately, with the pharmacy named and no "generic" or "same as" language
• No "never an in-person visit" claims for testosterone
• No BPC-157 or other peptide ads until counsel confirms the product's compounding status and the platform allows it
• Separate medication and membership costs clearly disclosed; regular price shown next to promotions
• Billing, cancellation and refund terms clear before checkout
• No pixel-based audiences built from health conditions or weight-loss events
• Counsel has reviewed claims, disclosures and pricing language

Frequently asked questions

How long does LegitScript certification take?

It varies with how ready your site and pharmacy relationships are, and LegitScript doesn't publish a standard review time. In our experience, plan for several weeks, and clean up the site and checkout before applying.

Can I run any ads before certification?

It depends on your business, not just your ad copy. If you prescribe online, Google requires certification before your ads serve. Google's rule covers online prescribing and doesn't mention in-person care, so an in-person clinic should keep online prescribing off its ads and landing page. Check each platform's current policy for your exact service.

Is it safe to advertise compounded semaglutide in 2026?

It's high risk. FDA now tightly limits compounded copies of approved GLP-1s and continues to warn telehealth sellers about how they describe them. Some programs now lead with branded GLP-1s instead.

What happens to testosterone telehealth after December 31, 2026?

That depends on the DEA's final rule or any further extension. Build intake so an in-person evaluation step can be added if required.

Practice Growth Co builds compliant patient acquisition for GLP-1, hormone and telehealth programs. For what programs charge, see our 2026 telehealth pricing benchmarks. This article is general information, not legal advice.