Panadol win for GSK

RECKITT Benckiser has been banned from making claims that ibuprofen (Nurofen) provides faster and more effective relief from pain caused by common headaches than does paracetamol (Panadol), with a Federal Court judge yesterday saying RB had engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct.

The case, brought by Panadol maker GlaxoSmithKline, was in relation to 2015 advertisements based on a single clinical trial in 1996, with two other studies failing to replicate the findings.

Federal Court judge Lindsay Foster granted a permanent injunction and ordered RB to pay GSK’s costs.

The court heard evidence that consumers bought OTC pain medications every two months, and that 33% of patients buy both paracetamol and ibuprofen based on different needs, new medical conditions or in-store displays.