*Daiso Launches 26 Types of Nutritional Supplements!!/Daewoong Pharmaceutical Nutritional Supplement List!!!

According to Daiso on the 26th, health supplement products from Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Ilyang Pharmaceutical have been on sale at select stores since the 24th. Chong Kun Dang Health is also scheduled to join the lineup within March or April. Daiso currently implements a flat-price policy ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 won, and this applies to health supplements as well. A one-month supply, which typically sells for 20,000 to 30,000 won at pharmacies, is being offered at Daiso at up to one-sixth of that price.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical has launched the most products, totaling 26 types including lutein, omega-3, multivitamins and minerals, biotin, and iron. Chong Kun Dang Health sells Lacto Fit Gold (17 packets) and two types of lutein and zeaxanthin (planned), while Ilyang Pharmaceutical sells nine types, including Vitamin C chewable tablets and saw palmetto zinc, at Daiso. Daiso plans to expand the number of brands available in the future after observing consumer response.

Consumers generally have a positive reaction. Affordable prices and convenient accessibility are cited as advantages. Jeong, a person in their 30s who visited the Daiso Gangnam Main Branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said, “Seeing that they sell everything from cosmetics to nutritional supplements, I feel like they have everything,” adding, “The prices are affordable, so I think I will conveniently buy things there instead of at a pharmacy in the future.”

However, concerns are growing among some pharmacists that a blow to sales is inevitable. Since lutein and omega-3 products are popular items in pharmacies, there are worries that if their business districts overlap with Daiso, they will take away a certain amount of demand. Reactions such as “I returned 10 million won worth of Daewoong Pharmaceutical prescription drugs” and “I should boycott (Daewoong Pharmaceutical)” have also emerged in pharmacist communities.

This is not the first time pharmacies have pushed back. Last June, controversy arose when Dongsung Pharmaceutical's hair dye 'Seven Eight' was sold at Daiso for 3,000 won less than the wholesale price to pharmacies. At the time, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association intervened, and Dongsung Pharmaceutical submitted an apology and halted product shipments. During this process, controversy was also raised regarding whether the influence of pharmacies was excessive.

Source: Doona/Kookmin Ilbo