Nurofen’s ‘targeted’ painkillers use exactly the same ingredients

Shoppers ‘misled’ into buying generic pills sold as cure for specific ailment, Australian court finds

NUROFEN, one of Britain’s biggest painkiller brands, uses identical ingredients in pills that claim to tackle different ailments, a court has found, prompting experts to warn that patients are overpaying for so-called “targeted” medicines.

Nurofen offers different labelled packs to treat migraines, period pains, tension headaches and back pain.

Its targeted pills are different to standard Nurofen as they contain salts that break down more quickly in the digestive system, providing faster pain relief. They are also more expensive.

But a court in Australia ruled that the products should be removed from the shelves there after finding that, apart from the packaging, all the targeted pills were identical.

Each contains exactly the same amount of ibuprofen, is formulated with the same ingredients – and even has the same drug licensing code.

Separately, an investigation by the consumer group Which? found that Nurofen’s “targeted” tablets contained the same drugs, in the same quantities, as pharmacy and supermarket ownbrand versions that were up to a third of the price.

Richard Headland, editor of Which?, said: “You might think Nurofen migraine pain and Nurofen tension headache caplets would target your migraine and tension headaches respectively, but you’d be wrong: ibuprofen can’t target pain in specific body parts.”

Each caplet of Nurofen migraine pain contains 342mg of ibuprofen lysine – a fast-acting version of standard ibuprofen – and costs 22p. Nurofen tension headache caplets contain the same ingredients but cost 23p each.

By contrast, Asda migraine relief also contains 342mg of ibuprofen lysine, but costs 11p, while Wilko express pain relief contains the same quantity and costs just 8p.

Which? found 14 supermarket and pharmacy products sold variously as “migraine relief ”, “period pain relief ” and “rapid pain relief ” were all made in the same laboratory using exactly the same formulation. The fine print even showed that the products carried the same marketing authorisation, called a product licence number.

“You can ignore targeted marketing if you’re clear you’re taking the right ingredient and dose: a man taking Feminax Express – marketed for period pain – will simply be getting 342mg of ibuprofen lysine,” Mr Headland said. “Our advice to people is to buy cheaper generic medicines wherever possible and, if in doubt, ask a pharmacist.”

Dr Aomesh Bhatt, a director for Nurofen, said: “The Nurofen specificpain 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.”

Dr Bhatt quoted research showing

‘Our advice to people is to buy cheaper generic medicines and, if in doubt, ask a pharmacist’

nine in 10 people “look for pain relief for a specific type of pain” and seven in 10 found pain-specific packs “help them decide which product is best for their needs”.

A spokesman said the court case was related “to Australia only” and was not applicable to Britain. However, the spokesman conceded that the drugs on sale in the UK are identical to those in Australia, where an interim pack will now replace the targeted range.

Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said the Federal Court found that Reckitt Benckiser, which owns Nurofen, “engaged in misleading conduct” – and broke the law – by “representing that its Nurofen Specific Pain products were each formulated to treat a specific type of pain, when the products are identical”. The Nurofen pills will stay on sale in Britain because regulators believe the names can help people trying to find the right medicines for their symptoms.