Nurofen decision

Nurofen decision demonstrates that targeted packaging is no substitute for health care advice

Australia's Federal Court has ordered that Nurofen Back Pain, Period Pain, Migraine Pain and Tension Headache products be removed from shop shelves.

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (the Guild) understand that this ruling was made because these products all use the same active ingredient and that none were any better at treating one type of pain than other products in the targeted range.

While this ruling only applies to Australia, we understand that the Commerce Commission in New Zealand is also investigating the issue.

A media statement from Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturer of Nurofen, states that the targeted Nurofen product range was launched “to help consumers navigate their pain relief options, particularly within the grocery environment where there is no health care professional to assist decision making.”

Guild Chief Executive, Lee Hohaia says “There is no substitute for health care advice from a professional, and we will be reminding members of their obligation to provide full advice to patients so patients understand the cause of their pain, the appropriate treatment and the best product available.

“We are aware that many pharmacies stock the targeted Nurofen products due to patient demand, which is often driven by advertising campaigns. Many patients still insist on the targeted product even when told that the ibuprofen dosage is equivalent to that of the standard Nurofen products.

“We understand that there is evidence of the targeted Nurofen products being absorbed more quickly than standard Nurofen products. We expect this has been taken into account by MedSafe when they licenced these products in New Zealand.

“While not all community pharmacies stock targeted Nurofen products, it is up to those individual pharmacies that do to decide if they will continue to stock them. It is also at the discretion of each individual pharmacy to decide the price of the products they sell.”

ENDS

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