NAD Recommends Arcadia Consumer Healthcare Discontinue Its “#1 Pharmacist Recommended” Claim

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New York, NY – September 8, 2020 – The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs found that Arcadia Consumer Healthcare did not provide sufficiently reliable evidence to support its “#1 Pharmacist Recommended” claim and recommended the claim, challenged by Advantice Health, be discontinued. The advertiser agreed to comply with NAD’s recommendation.  

Express Claim 

• “#1 Pharmacist Recommended” 

Implied Claim 

• Fungi-Nail antifungal products, which treat athlete’s foot, including the Fungi-Nail Anti-Fungal Pen, Fungi-Nail Anti-Fungal Liquid, and Fungi-Nail Anti-Fungal Ointment, are the #1 Pharmacist Recommended” brand/product for all fungal infections. 

As support for the challenged claims, the advertiser submitted a survey to assess “the awareness and recommendation level of 5 OTC products which treat fungus on the skin around the toenail.” The five products included in the pharmacist-directed survey were Fungi-Nail, FungiCure, ProClearz, Tineacide, and Mycocide. The survey asked “When recommending a brand or product that treats fungus on the skin around the toenail, what brands or products do you recommend? (select all that apply).” The results demonstrated that 73% of the surveyed pharmacists recommend Fungi-Nail. 

Although NAD determined that the survey had an appropriate survey population, was geographically diverse, and asked a question designed to assess what products the pharmacists actually recommend in their practice, the five products included in the survey were not representative of the entire OTC antifungal marketplace. Lamisil, Lotrimin, and Tinactin, the undisputed brand leaders, were not listed as options for the pharmacists to recommend in the survey.  

NAD was not persuaded by the advertiser’s contention that it is a specialty product and, therefore, belonged in a different product category than the leading antifungal brands obviating the need to compare Fungi-Nail to the brand leaders in the survey. Moreover, the survey was conducted on a prior product formulation instead of the current product formulation. Lastly, the survey was further flawed by its failure to ask open-ended questions and impermissibly conflated brand claims and product claims. NAD therefore recommended the advertiser discontinue the “#1 Pharmacist Recommended” claim. 

In its advertiser’s statement, the advertiser stated that it “appreciates NAD’s attention to this matter and agrees to comply.” 

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About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org. 

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.