Nurofen maker Reckitt Benckiser ordered to pull 'misleading' painkiller products from Australian stores

Reckitt Benckiser has been ordered to take several of its best-selling Nurofen pain-relief products off the shelves in Australia after a court ruled it had misled consumers.

Nurofen Back Pain, Period Pain, Migraine Pain and Tension Headache products were in fact identical, the Federal Court ruled.

It said that Reckitt Benckiser had “engaged in misleading conduct” by labelling the Nurofen for different ailments.

Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which brought the case, said: “The retail price of the Nurofen Specific Pain Products was significantly higher than that of other comparable analgesic products which also act as general pain relievers.”

The company sells similar pain specific versions of Nurofen in the UK including Nurofen Migraine Pain, Nurofen Express Period Pain and Nurofen Tension Headache.

But a spokeswoman for Nurofen said: “This case related to Australia only and is not applicable to other countries or regions, including the UK.”

She added: “If Nurofen’s products have the same active ingredients, the same format and the same formulation, they have the same manufacturer’s recommended retail price (MRRP).”

Nurofen specific pain relief products were sold at almost double the price of Nurofen’s standard painkiller, according to three pharmacies in Sydney.

Reckitt Benckiser was investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority in 2012 after TV viewers complained about its adverts claiming that Nurofen “goes to the heart of the pain.”

The advertising watchdog ruled in Reckitt’s favour on that occasion.

The ACCC said that Reckitt Benckiser had three months to remove the Nurofen specific pain products from Australian shelves.

A date for a court hearing on a fine is yet to be announced.

The ACCC said each Nurofen specific pain product contained 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 Nurofen Specific Pain products.

Dr Aomesh Bhatt, Regulatory & Medical Affairs Director for Nurofen said: “Nurofen indication specific products are designed to help the consumer easily navigate our range, particularly within the grocery environment, where pharmacy support isn’t available.”