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AN AUSTRALIAN COURT has ordered that Nurofen pain relief products be pulled from the shelves due to misleading claims.
The Federal Court has said that the products – which are marketed to treat specific types of pain – are in fact identical.
The action was taken by government-affiliated watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The case was taken against Reckitt Benckiser, the company that manufacturers Nurofen.
Included in the case were products targeted at treating migraines, back pain, period pain and tension headaches.
Although all of these contained the same active ingredient – ibuprofen lysine 432mg – they did differ from the standard Nurofen product.
Reckitt Benckiser did not oppose the orders made by the court, and admitted that it had engaged in “contravening conduct”.
In response to the judgement, the ACCC said:
The ACCC took these proceedings because it was concerned that consumers may have purchased these products in the belief that they specifically treated a certain type of pain, based on the representations on the packaging, when this was not the case.
The regulatory watchdog describes advertising in the medical sector as one of its priority areas.
A problem was also noted with the pricings, with pain-specific Nurofen products sold at a higher cost than general pain relievers.
The products will now be withdrawn over the next three months and Reckitt Benckiser has been ordered to take a number of corrective actions.
These include publishing corrective notices on its website and in newspapers; implementing a consumer protection compliance programme; and also paying the ACCC’s costs.
For the time being an agreement has been reached between the ACCC and Reckitt Benckiser on how their products are to be packaged, with the information about them being equally effective for other forms of pain to be clearly displayed.
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Always look at the ingredients not the labels. In the Cold & Flu ranges here you will find 2-3 ingredients (like paracetamol, diphenhydramine hydrachloride, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) in nearly all products, find the cheapest product with those in them, ignore the flashy labels. The big one everyone here thinks is the be all end all is Lemsip…but it’s just paracetamol with vitamin c (which you’re getting in a balanced diet anyway).
The last two are in nearly all cold/flu products, you are paying for the label Nurofen/Benylin etc
Working in a pharmacy I naively tried to give people clearly on low incomes the more generic stuff, they’d toss the generic blue paracetamol box back at me angrily and say “NO!! I want me Panadol!”
That may be because the generic paracetamols often only have ten tablets in a pack whereas Panadol comes in 12 and 20 or 24, and they know you can’t legally sell them two of the small packs.
I know that there are smaller packs yeh. But I always gave them the same. It was the label they wanted not the ingredient, there was a big price difference. They convinced themselves that it’s just “not quite the same” when the only diff is the pack, the part you’re not consuming. The only other diff with some of them is that some of the generic ones are like bits of chalk in your mouth and harder to swallow, but I’d just try to find one thats sugar shelled rather than pay an arm and a leg for a label.
I would only argue that lemsip offers faster relief being in the form of a hot drink.
Cough bottles are labeled for all different types of cough but I think they’re all the same ?
If in pain, no matter how bad, take nothing, because nothing works faster than Anadin.
Panadol, and headaches are the same only different shape tables, made by gsk, I worked for them 15 years ago, my boby heals it’s self don’t need them tables
Cough medicines are the ones that aren’t actually the same. Dry and chesty coughs are different, the chesty one contain expectorants to clear the respiratory tract. The same is true of children’s medicine they contains a lower does of the active ingredients. You can give them a lower dose of the cheaper adults versions…. But the children’s calpol etc. is more convenient and less likely to be confused or mis-dosed.
There are many reasons why someone might prefer to pay for a brand name… the might want the increased quality assurance, a more evidently tamper proof bottle, the inactive ingredients/ constituents might make it ‘easier’ on people stomachs.
Get some solphidines into Ye. Best pain killer around
Rightly so. Marketing lies pitched in by pharma are especially repulsive and dangerous. Make them feel it in their pockets!
Its a real headache for them now though!
The price of the same product in different forms can vary considerably, consider simple paracetamol. In tablet form 12 tablets costs 12 cents, soluble tables costs €1.44, suppositories costs €5.08 and in injection form it costs €12.84. Depending on the form chosen it’s effectiveness can also vary considerably, this is where obtaining the advice of professionals comes into play.
This is going to be a pain.
So it’ll be an orderly withdrawal of product over a three month period in Australia with no risk to the consumer. That headline is a bit over the top then…click bait?
Possibly. It’s as if the journal wanted you to click it? Hmmm
They also have the wrong photo. Plus is not available in supermarkets anywhere (Even the supermarket versions have to be bought in pharmacy here, and that monster back size above is not available in Ireland at all) as it’s controlled and not a part of the recall. They should put one of the back pain or period pain ones up.
I love the way the pack says ” For three days use only. Can cause addiction”….On a pack containing enough pills to keep an going for a week….
I agree I looked and first taught no way what have I been taking then I read on and find out its all to do with what it says it does on the box click bait is rite!!
What about neurofen plus?? The interrogation I get at the chemist just increases my headache so I need a plus
Thats because Neurofen plus contains codeine which is now controlled over the counter cause its addictive :(
Same is done here with dog food, there is a company that labels the packs for each breed of dog marketing it just for them when in fact the ingredients are exactly the same. Buyers beware marketing will try and mislead you into parting with your money for a brand that isn’t as good as it claims to be.
Something I’ve wondered about, is there actually any real difference between most dog food and cat food?
That’s marketing for ya….
It’s like cucumbers, you can eat them (don’t know why you would want to) and you can stick them up your arse!
Greedy corporations scheeming how to take money from vulnerable people. Disgusting.
They told me it would make my penis bigger, 20 boxes later and still nothing!
Are you sure you’re not Paula, that could be what the problem is ?
About time this happened. One of those BBC doctor programs a few months ago exposed this. Doctor guy said you cannot target pain in tablet form. He proved that as much of the ingredient goes to your toes as goes to your headache. It’s distributed around your body.
Generic equivalents have exactly the same ingredients as the brand names with the flashy packaging legally they are required to.
Nurofen Plus, now with added margin, always read the label.
or Try Berooccccaaa rich in the essence of goodness, may turn your urine yellow always read the label,
Did anyone tell Neil prendervile
Nurofen gets a headache.
This was on BBCs Watchdog programme years ago. The nurofen and nurofen plus were exactly the same product.
Or just buy ibrufen & paracetamol (both 600mg) in spain nxt time your on hols. 40 tablets for around €2.50ish. And the same for calpol and kids liquid ibreufen €2-€3 a bottle. Smaller bottle but a smaller dosage too. And broad spectrum antibiotics too.. €3 for a pack that has 2 courses
The way we are misled by drug manufacturers is nothing short of astounding. Playing with the research findings (relative risk vs absolute risk, for example), not publishing negative trials–why should anyone be surprised if the advertising is misleading? I think the big surprise to many people would be understanding just how much NSAIDs interfere with the normal healing process, promote heart attacks/strokes, destroy joints and, in general, don’t fix anything. http://www.MigrainesAndEpilepsy.com
Will it cure the pain on the hole the Aussies have given them ?!?
Codeine junkies lol.
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