Google began showing pharmaceutical ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews in a US test

A Google spokesperson said ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews have recently been expanded to include certain pharmaceutical products. The test started this month and is limited to the United States, where pharmaceutical advertisers can run standard text and Shopping ads in sections marked Sponsored. Healthcare had previously been excluded from ads on these surfaces.

Google is keeping drug ads out of its more experimental formats, including ones where AI rewrites the ad copy, and existing prescription drug advertising rules still apply, including certification for drug makers, online pharmacies and telehealth companies.

Visibility looks limited while the test runs: Search Engine Roundtable said it could not find pharmaceutical ads in AI Overviews or AI Mode itself, and an Adthena analysis published in September found zero prescription brand ads in AI Mode in August.