The Fair Trade Commission imposed sanctions on F&Dnet, which provided goods worth about 600 million won to hospitals and clinics to sell prenatal and infant supplements. F&Dnet is a health functional food manufacturer that sells prenatal vitamins and infant probiotics under the "Doctor Edition" brand.
On the 16th, the Fair Trade Commission said it imposed a corrective order and a 196 million won penalty surcharge on F&Dnet.
According to the Fair Trade Commission's investigation, F&Dnet provided unjust economic benefits such as meal entertainment, event support, and snack expenses to hospital and clinic medical staff to induce them to prioritize recommending its products.
From Apr. 2022 to the end of 2024, F&Dnet spent a total of 612 million won at 1,702 hospitals and clinics. It recorded the spending as "entertainment expenses" in its internal accounts and used it to encourage the purchase of supplements.
The products include prenatal vitamins, infant probiotics, and vitamin D under the "Doctor Edition" brand. F&Dnet also operated an "inner shop" (dedicated sales stand) inside hospitals and clinics, leading patients to buy products on the spot.
There was also evidence that medical staff guided patients to specific products. Citing internal documents, the Fair Trade Commission noted, "There was a case where medical staff told a mother that '1,000 IU is enough' and guided her to buy a specific vitamin D product."
An official at the Fair Trade Commission said, "In the end, consumers bought specific products based on economic relationships rather than medical judgment," adding, "Their freedom of choice was infringed."