Pharmaceutical companies are focusing their marketing activities on fighting against fine dust this year, rather than yellow dust blown from the deserts of Northern China and Mongolia.

Boryung Pharmaceutical, Dong-A Pharmaceutical, Dongsung Pharmaceutical, and Handok are moving quickly to launch a new ad or release a new product.

Boryung Pharm installed electronic signage, marked with the company’s name on the rooftop of the Boryung Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and let it change colors depending on the level of fine dust concentration. The company said it aimed to raise the awareness of fine dust for Seoul citizens.

The signage indicates the level of fine dust concentration on the rooftop of Boryung Building in Jongno-gu in central Seoul.

Linked with a fine dust data collector of the Korea Meteorological Administration on the rooftop, the signage’s color goes blue for good air, green for normal, yellow for bad, and red for seriously bad.

“It may be a small contribution, but we tried to show that we had a strong commitment to fulfilling our corporate social responsibility, by sharing it with citizens,” an official at Boryung Pharm said.

Dong-A Pharm on Monday released eye cleanser “I-Bong Mini” to celebrate selling more than 1 million units of the product and the second anniversary of its launch. I-Bong is designed to cleanse the eyes when they become uncomfortable with dust, sweat, lens, and cosmetic powders.

Dong-A Pharm said the company released the mini version of I-Bong because the original item’s sales quickly rose due to fine dust.

Dongsung Pharm began to sell an anti-find dust mask for children. The company said it spotted consumers’ complaints that most of the dust masks were in adult size and too big for children to wear.

Dongsung Pharmaceutical is marketing dust masks for children.

“Mediguard, the anti-fine dust and anti-yellow dust mask for children, is fit to a child’s face and prevents inhaling of harmful substances,” a company official said.

Handok is airing a TV commercial for a nasal spray.

Handok’s advertisement of “Fess” expressed the frustration of people who have difficulty breathing due to rhinitis, yellow sand, and fine dust in subtitles. Fess is a nasal spray having a 3-percent concentration of natural osmotic effect, similar to natural seawater. The spray acts on the nasal mucosa and helps to relieve nasal congestion.

“Fine dust is directly affecting people’s health. Drugmakers are shifting marketing focus to fine dust from yellow dust,” an industry executive said. “This market will continue to grow this year.”

sjh@docdocdoc.co.kr

<© Korea Biomedical Review, All rights reserved.>