Menarini Korea’s online advertisement of an athlete’s foot treatment depicting a pharmacist as a mere drug seller caused an instant backlash from pharmacists.
The company immediately deleted the ad on YouTube, apologized to pharmacists, and promised to prevent a similar mistake.
The Gangnam-gu Pharmaceutical Association, a branch group of the Seoul Pharmaceutical Association, released a statement on Wednesday to criticize Menarini Korea’s YouTube ad of Fulcare Nail Lacquer (ingredient: ciclopirox).
In the online video ad, a pharmacist fails to understand a visitor’s explanation about the athlete’s foot symptoms and passes Fulcare Nail Lacquer to another consumer who asks for the product, without giving any advice.
As the ad's content caused a stir in the pharmacists’ community, the Gangnam-gu Pharmaceutical Association officially requested Menarini Korea’s apology and discontinuation of the ad.
“We, pharmacists, felt a sense of shame to see the ad of Fulcare where a consumer picked and purchased an over-the-counter drug without any advice from a pharmacist. The ad featured only two hands of the pharmacist as if the pharmacist was just a simple drug passer,” the association said in the statement.
The pharmacists' image has been recently downgraded because they had to sell the government-regulated masks amid Covid-19, the group said.
Under such circumstances, Menarini regarded pharmacists as mere drug distributors, it claimed, demanding the company take every measure to prevent a similar mishap.
The association threatened that if the company does not take any measure, it would return all Fulcare products and start a campaign for correcting the ad.
Pressured by the mounting criticism, Menarini Korea apologized to pharmacists in the afternoon of the same day.
“This video ad hurt the feelings of pharmacists who spared no effort and dedication for public health. We are taking this matter gravely and preparing measures to prevent a similar incident,” the company said.
The Korean offshoot of the Italian company deleted the online ad as well.
Fulcare Nail Lacquer is an over-the-counter drug, supplied by Kwangdong Pharmaceutical.