Pharma paid search runs under a different rulebook than every other vertical – LegitScript certification, restricted claims about drug names and conditions, and geo-fenced approvals that vary by therapeutic category. Get the compliance layer wrong and you don't get a warning, you get suspended. Get it right and you're running the campaigns most competitors are too cautious to build.
The Problem
LegitScript certification blocks your account before your first ad runs
Google requires LegitScript certification for any advertiser promoting prescription drugs, and the certification process alone can take weeks if your application isn't built correctly the first time. Teams that launch a paid search program without securing certification first lose their entire campaign build to an account suspension, then have to rebuild the certification case from scratch while competitors keep running.
Branded drug-plus-condition keywords trigger restrictions most teams don't see coming
Pairing a drug name with the condition it treats in ad copy without the full Important Safety Information triggers Google's health and medicines policy every time, and the rejection reasons in Google Ads aren't always specific enough to self-diagnose. Marketing teams burn weeks in policy appeal loops instead of running the unbranded-versus-branded campaign structure that would have avoided the problem entirely.
Unbranded disease-awareness campaigns get built like consumer campaigns, and underperform
Unbranded DTC campaigns exist specifically to build condition awareness without triggering drug-claim restrictions, but teams often import consumer-brand keyword strategy and landing page structure straight into an unbranded pharma build. The result is a campaign that's compliant but generic – broad condition terms with no bridge to the branded campaign or HCP-locator flow that's supposed to follow it.
B2B paid search for CDMOs and lab equipment gets buried under consumer health spend logic
CDMO, CRO, and lab equipment marketers are selling to procurement and scientific buyers with long, technical research cycles, but their paid search accounts often get built with the same short-consideration-window logic as DTC health campaigns. Keyword strategy skews too broad, landing pages skip the technical specificity a scientific buyer needs to convert, and budget gets wasted on searches from students and job seekers instead of qualified buyers.
How We Help
Our initial assessment starts with certification and account health, not keyword research. We review whether your account needs LegitScript certification, what therapeutic category and geo restrictions apply to your product, and what prior policy strikes or suspensions are sitting in your account history. This determines what's launchable in month one versus what needs a certification runway first.
Strategy development splits the account into the structures pharma paid search actually requires: branded campaigns with full ISI compliance for patients already searching your product name, unbranded disease-awareness campaigns that build condition understanding without drug claims, and where relevant, HCP-facing campaigns with different landing experiences and disclosure requirements than the patient-facing side. For B2B biotech clients – CDMOs, CROs, lab equipment and reagent companies – we build a separate account logic around long research cycles, technical keyword intent, and account-based targeting instead of consumer volume metrics.
Execution builds and launches campaigns with the compliance review built into the workflow, not bolted on after Google rejects the ad. Every branded ad, every landing page, and every extension gets checked against current health and medicines policy before it goes live, which is what actually prevents the suspension cycles that stall most pharma paid search programs. We also manage the geo and audience restrictions that vary by therapeutic category, so campaigns don't serve into markets where your certification doesn't cover you.
Measurement tracks qualified pipeline, not raw click volume, which is where most pharma paid search reporting goes wrong. For DTC unbranded campaigns, we track progression from awareness search to branded search to HCP-locator or site-finder conversion. For B2B, we track marketing-qualified opportunities from procurement and scientific buyer titles, not aggregate lead count. A pharma paid search account that's compliant and cheap to run but isn't moving qualified buyers through the funnel isn't working.
What we deliver
- LegitScript certification support and account compliance audit – so campaigns launch without suspension risk
- Branded and unbranded campaign architecture – separate account logic for ISI-compliant branded search and disease-awareness unbranded search
- HCP and B2B account structure – for provider-facing and CDMO/CRO/lab equipment campaigns with technical buyer intent
- Compliance-in-workflow ad review process – every ad and landing page checked against health and medicines policy before launch
- Qualified-pipeline reporting – tracking awareness-to-branded search progression and marketing-qualified opportunities, not raw clicks
The pharma paid search accounts that scale aren't the ones that find loopholes in Google's health policy – they're the ones that build branded and unbranded campaigns as two separate, compliant systems from day one instead of trying to force one campaign to do both jobs.
Our Methodology
Our 90-day paid search build for biotech and pharma starts with account compliance, not media planning. Phase one audits your LegitScript status, prior account history, and the specific therapeutic category and geo restrictions that apply to your product, and resolves any certification gaps before spend goes live.
Phase two builds the campaign architecture – branded ISI-compliant campaigns, unbranded disease-awareness campaigns, and HCP or B2B campaigns as separate structures with their own keyword logic, ad copy, and landing pages. For B2B biotech clients, this phase focuses on technical keyword intent and account-based targeting instead of consumer search volume.
Phase three launches and optimizes with compliance review embedded in the weekly workflow, so policy issues get caught before they trigger a rejection or suspension rather than after. We also build the reporting layer that ties spend to qualified pipeline – branded search lift, HCP-locator conversion, or B2B marketing-qualified opportunities – instead of top-line click and impression metrics that don't tell you whether the right buyer converted.
How We Work
Initial paid search engagements for biotech and pharma companies run 3-4 months, with certification timelines occasionally extending the first phase depending on Google's review queue. The first 30 days focus on account compliance – LegitScript certification status, policy history review, and geo/category restriction mapping – alongside initial campaign architecture planning.
Days 31-60 build and launch the campaign structures – branded, unbranded, HCP, or B2B as applicable to your product – with compliance review built into every ad and landing page before it goes live. Days 61-90 focus on optimization based on real performance data and the qualified-pipeline reporting layer.
Our team includes a paid search lead who owns account strategy and compliance, and an analyst who manages day-to-day bid and budget optimization. From your side we need access to your regulatory or medical affairs team for ISI language and claims review, and clarity on which geos and therapeutic indications are covered under your current certification.
Weekly optimization reviews track spend efficiency and compliance status. Monthly business reviews connect paid search performance to qualified pipeline – branded search lift, HCP-locator activity, or B2B opportunity volume depending on your model.
- Certification and compliance clearance – LegitScript status secured and account suspension risk removed before scale-up
- Qualified pipeline growth – branded search lift and HCP or B2B opportunity volume, not just click volume
- Reduced policy friction – fewer ad rejections and appeal cycles from compliance built into the launch workflow
- Efficient spend allocation – budget concentrated on qualified buyer intent instead of broad consumer or research-adjacent traffic
If your biotech & pharma company needs paid search (sem) leadership, we should talk.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a paid search engagement cost for a biotech or pharma company?
Most engagements run as a monthly management fee scoped to account complexity, typically $8K-$25K per month, separate from ad spend. Accounts requiring LegitScript certification support, multiple branded and unbranded campaign structures, or both DTC and HCP-facing builds sit at the higher end. B2B accounts for CDMOs, CROs, or lab equipment companies are often lower complexity on the compliance side but require more technical keyword and landing page work.
How long does LegitScript certification take before we can launch paid search campaigns?
Certification timelines vary based on how complete your initial application is and Google's current review queue, but a well-prepared application typically clears faster than one that gets bounced back for missing documentation. We build the certification case alongside initial campaign architecture so you're not losing calendar time waiting to start planning. If your account has prior policy strikes, resolving those adds time to the process.
Can we run direct-to-consumer paid search campaigns for a branded prescription drug?
Yes, but branded campaigns require full Important Safety Information disclosure and are subject to stricter geo and category restrictions than unbranded disease-awareness campaigns. Most pharma advertisers run both – a branded campaign for patients already searching the product name, and a separate unbranded campaign that builds condition awareness without drug claims. We architect these as two distinct campaign structures rather than trying to serve both jobs from one campaign.
How is B2B paid search different for a CDMO or lab equipment company versus consumer pharma?
B2B biotech paid search deals with a longer research cycle, a technical scientific buyer, and none of the LegitScript or drug-claim restrictions that govern consumer prescription advertising. The work instead focuses on precise technical keyword targeting, landing pages built for a scientific evaluator rather than a patient, and filtering out low-intent traffic from students and job seekers that otherwise drains budget. Account-based targeting toward procurement and R&D titles matters more than broad keyword volume.
What makes Winston Francois different from a general paid search agency for pharma accounts?
Most general paid search agencies learn Google's health and medicines policy the hard way, through a suspended account. We build compliance into the campaign architecture and ad review workflow from the start, which is what actually prevents the suspension cycles that stall most pharma paid search programs. We're operators who tie spend to qualified pipeline – branded search lift, HCP conversion, B2B opportunity volume – not agencies reporting on click-through rate as if that were the goal.
What type of biotech or pharma company is the right fit for this service?
Commercial-stage pharma companies launching branded or unbranded DTC campaigns, companies building HCP-facing search programs, and B2B biotech companies – CDMOs, CROs, lab equipment and reagent suppliers – competing for technical buyer search intent. If your account has been suspended before, has stalled in LegitScript review, or your team isn't confident distinguishing branded from unbranded campaign requirements, that's the clearest signal you need this. The first step is an account compliance audit.
