LONDON, United Kingdom. An Australian court has ordered Reckitt Benckiser to remove several of its Nurofen pain relief products, saying the British firm had misled customers by marketing identical products for different types of pain.
Nurofen Back Pain, Period Pain, Migraine Pain and Tension Headache Products are in fact identical and the firm has “engaged in misleading conduct” by labelling them for different ailments, the Federal Court ruled.
Nurofen specific pain relief products were sold at almost double the price of the company’s standard painkiller, according to three Sydney pharmacies.
Australia appears to be the first country to move against Nurofen specific pain relief products, which are also sold in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, according to pharmacy and supermarket websites.
But Nurofen said in a statement the case only related to Australia and did not apply to other countries.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said Reckitt Benckiser had three months to remove the products from Australian stores.
The ACCC said each Nurofen specific pain product had the same active ingredient, ibuprofen lysine 342mg, and was no more effective at treating the type of pain described on its packaging than any of the other specific products.
A date for a court hearing to determine a fine has yet to be set.
Reckitt Benckiser said its Nurofen specific pain range “did not set out to mislead consumers”.
It said the affected products represented 5% of its Nurofen range in Australia.
Dr Aomesh Bhatt, regulatory and medical affairs director for Nurofen, said: “The Nurofen specific-pain range was launched with an intention to help consumers navigate their pain relief options, particularly within the grocery environment where there is no healthcare professional to assist decision-making”.
In October, a Sky News investigation found branded pills that claim to target pain can cost up to four times more than unbranded tablets.
Credit: Sky News
