Miracle products: Spanish pharmacy's great struggle to eradicate them

Abstract

The Spanish pharmacy model has two fundamental characteristics that may be summarised as the credibility of the community pharmacy as a healthcare establishment and the professionalism of the pharmacist as a healthcare agent. Currently, the professional activity of the pharmacist mainly revolves around the patient, with medicine being a healthcare tool he or she uses to practice his or her profession. However, the pharmacy as a healthcare establishment also covers other fields, such as the case of the Parapharmacy, which also require the pharmacist’s professional capacity, giving priority to the healthcare aspects over the financial ones. The Parapharmacy field includes health products where the professional action of the pharmacist forms an important added value that is recognised as such by society. As opposed to the Parapharmacy products correctly placed on the market, we find the so-called “Miracle Products”. Society is being invaded by products of differing natures and presentations,which try to find a place on the market by virtue of supposed healing or preventive properties for all types of complaints or health problems. Every year, in a seasonal basis, products are being detected (particularly foods or cosmetics) that promote the healing of incurable diseases or weight loss over a short period of time. Generally, the “miracle products” appear surrounded by short term, aggressive advertising campaigns and they disappear as soon as the health authorities act against them. Most of these fraudulent products do not include the clear identification of the company liable for them on the label, just a contact telephone number, web address or P.O. box number. The companies in charge of the marketing of this type of product are also aware of the healthcare value that the community pharmacies provide, and they try to use them for their own benefit. An example of this is that they frequently use, unilaterally, the advertising slogan of “on sale in pharmacies” or “ask your pharmacist for it”. They are also presented using devices, energies or apparatus that influence different parts of the human body alleging to produce effects that prevent, alleviate or cure diseases or complaints or soothe pain. In general, they are expensive and they manage to create expectations of success with their use that do not correspond to reality. Therefore: