Message to NPTA members from Zanfel

Posted September 4, 2008 · September 4, 2008

September 4, 2008

Greetings NPTA Member:

First, let me say " Thank You " for a very successful trade show for

Zanfel Laboratories at the recent NPTA Meeting in Las Vegas. It was

truly outstanding for Zanfel Laboratories! During the trade show part

of the meeting, we were simply overrun with interest about Zanfel

Poison Ivy Wash. Many of you asked for us to follow up with you after

the meeting. That is the reason for this e-mail. We here at Zanfel

would like to thank NPTA for assisting us with this opportunity.

Zanfel Poison Ivy Wash is the only product clinically shown to remove

the plant's toxin, urushiol, from the skin ANYTIME after breakout.

Education about the Zanfel product and its clinical benefits are

paramount to us. Zanfel Laboratories has a number of FREE educational

resources we would like to make available to you and the other members

of your pharmacy staff. Zanfel has a color illustrated brochure which

addresses many issues associated with poison ivy, oak and sumac,

including plant identification, prevention and treatment. The

following link will allow you to view this brochure:

www.zanfel.com/admin/AAFP_brochure.pdf. All of these items are

included in a Zanfel Informational Kit I would like to send to you

free of charge. Shipping is also free.

To order the Zanfel Informational Kit please contact Dan Boelman,

Zanfel's Customer Service Manager. You can forward your request via

e-mail to Dan's attention at dboelman@... or by calling Dan at

1-800-401-4002, menu option one, then zero. Please be sure to include

your name and a physical shipping address as the package will be sent

via FedEx.

Zanfel Poison Ivy Wash is a non-prescription product which is stocked

by ALL pharmaceutical wholesalers.

Once again, thank you for stopping by the Zanfel booth and for

contributing to our success. For those who were unable to stop by,

please take advantage of this opportunity to receive a FREE Zanfel

Informational Kit. Dan is awaiting your e-mail or phone call.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Steve Sisler

Vice President of Sales Development

Zanfel Laboratories, Inc.

1370 NW 114th St., STE 204

Clive, IA 50325

(515) 267-8099

ssisler@...

www.zanfel.com

Posted September 7, 2008 · September 7, 2008

Zanfel is a success story based on " testimonials " over actual clinical

studies of which have been done with successful results, but paid for

by Zanfel. Marketing seems to be the key to this product as it

appears to have success on the " web " as a treatment for Poison Ivy.

Zanfel also uses Pharmacy Conventions as a way of marketing its

product and convincing " Health Professionals " of the relevance of its

product. Pharmacy Convention Trade Shows have no problem in allowing

this as Zanfel will pay the high priced fee associated in the setting

up of a booth and other fees associated with marketing at these

individual conventions. Most recently Zanfel set up a booth at the

National Pharmacy Technician Association, (NPTA) event RxPo 2008 in

Las Vegas.

An article in US Pharmacist, (June 20, 2007), has evaluated the

product Zanfel as unproven and suggests the product not be used or

recommended to customers/patients in need. The ingredients were

evaluated by the FDA and showed no clinical advantage or rationale.

This seems to not have affected the product in sales as Physicians or

Pharmacists in large chain pharmacies will recommend this product to

customers mainly because of the marketing of Zanfel at Pharmacy

Convention Trade Shows that the individual Physician/Pharmacist may

have attended.

The origination of this product dates back to 1997, when a man named

Yarbrough worked as a sales representative for the company

Redman Scientific, (now Phoenix Industries) a company of Dallas,

Texas, that manufactures, distributes and sells " Mean Green, " a hand

cleaner. Yarbrough is said to have simply copied the Mean Green

formula for Zanfel and changed the marketing of this product as a

cleansing agent to something of value for those who may have contact

with poison ivy.

Sales of this product has made Mr. Yarbrough a multi-millionaire as

court documents has seen sales prior to 2003 gross will over 20

million dollars. With an average price of 39.99 for a 1 oz tube,

(generally need more than one tube), of this product, it is easy to

see where much profit can be made in the manufacturing and in the

ingredients that cost nickles to produce.

I am not one to discredit this product, as there are so very many

" testimonials " that make one believe this is the best thing since the

doorknob or bubblegum. But, as a health professional, I do ponder how

easy it is to mislead individuals into believing something that may

not be there.

If this is the case, I also wonder about the validity of organizations

that allow the marketing of products that are not even FDA approved as

I have always believed Pharmacy organizations are supposed to have the

utmost care and concern of their individual members in mind at all

times. In this case, I am led to believe that money being made by

allowing the advertising of a product that may not necessarily be of

sound quality at a given convention trade show, is of more value to

that Pharmacy organization than the individual membership base they

serve.

Joe Medina, CPhT

References:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/202037/poison_ivy_remedy_zanfel_a_20_mi\

llion.html?cat=71

http://www.uspharmacist.com/index.asp?show=article & page=8_1996.htm

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