Google may show "certain pharmaceutical products" and pharmaceutical drugs within ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews. A Google spokesperson told Adweek it has "recently expanded to include certain pharmaceutical products" within these surfaces.
Here is the statement Google sent Adweek:
"We’re testing standard text and Shopping ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews, which we recently expanded to include certain pharmaceutical products."
I am not sure when Google updated any of its drug or pharmaceutical ads policies recently. The last time I saw an update was in March 2026 and October 2025. There were some regional changes in specific countries also over the past year but that is all I have seen.
I did ask Google and I was told there were no recent policy changes here. The only thing is that while Google continues to test ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews, Google expanded those AI surfaces to test showing ads in this realm as well.
Plus, I tried to find pharmaceutical ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode and did not spot any myself - do you see them?
Adweek wrote, "The testing for pharmaceutical products, including prescription drugs, began this month and is limited to the U.S, according to a Google spokesperson. Pharmaceutical advertisers can run standard text and Shopping ads, which will appear in sections labeled as “Sponsored.”"
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