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Agence France-Presse

Drug giant Reckitt Benckiser has been ordered to pull some of its popular Nurofen painkiller brands off shelves in Australia after a court ruled they made misleading claims.
Australia's consumer watchdog took court action in March, disputing Nurofen packaging that products in its Nurofen Specific Pain range were formulated to treat different types of pain, when the active ingredient was identical.
The Federal Court ruled Monday that the British-based multinational engaged in misleading conduct, because the main ingredient in all the products was the same - 342 milligrams of ibuprofen lysine. None was better at treating specific kinds of pain than the others, despite the supposedly specialised products costing more.
WATCH: How the makers of Nurofen misled customers

It ordered that Nurofen Back Pain, Nurofen Period Pain, Nurofen Migraine Pain and Nurofen Tension Headache be removed from retail shelves within three months.
Nurofen in Australia could not immediately be reached but in a statement the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said Reckitt Benckiser admitted the illegal conduct and consented to the court orders.
“The ACCC took these proceedings because it was concerned that consumers may have purchased these products in the belief that they specifically treated a certain type of pain, based on the representations on the packaging, when this was not the case,” chairman Rod Sims said.
“Truth in advertising and consumer issues in the health and medical sectors are priority areas for the ACCC, to ensure that consumers are given accurate information when making their purchasing decisions.”
In Australia, Reckitt Benckiser markets and supplies a range of consumer health and household brands, including Nurofen, Mortein, Clearasil, Finish, Airwick and Gaviscon.
The court also ordered it to pay the ACCC's costs and publish online and newspaper corrections.
A hearing will be held at a later undisclosed date to decide what fine the company faces.


The painful truth: Nurofen pills to be pulled in Australia over misleading 'specific pain' claims

Australian consumers were charged more for Nurofen's supposedly specialised painkillers, when they did exactly the same thing as the cheaper non-specialised alternative, as highlighted in this graphic from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's show, The Checkout. Photo: ABC TV

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