23 Dec 2015

Nurofen to stop selling specific pain products

2:52 pm on 23 December 2015

The company selling Nurofen medication in New Zealand will stop sales of its specific pain range products in their current packaging by March next year.

The Commerce Commission is investigating concerns that the products are misleading and deceptive.

Nurofen

Nurofen Photo: AAP

It said it had reached an agreement with Reckitt Benckiser (NZ) to stop sale of the products in their current packaging.

The products are: Nurofen Migraine Pain ibuprofen lysine 342 mg blister pack; Nurofen Period Pain ibuprofen lysine 342mg tablet blister pack; and Nurofen Back Pain ibuprofen lysine 342 mg tablet blister pack.

Concerns about them were first raised in Australia.

The Commerce Commission said the New Zealand company had cooperated to provide enforceable undertakings, following legal action in Australia in which Reckitt Benckiser (Australia) Ltd admitted that the products breached the Australian Consumer Law.

The Federal Court of Australia ordered by consent that the company had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by saying each product was specifically formulated to treat a particular type of pain when the products were identical.

Following today's announcement by the Commerce Commission the products can not be supplied in either country in their current packaging beyond March 2016.

Under the agreement the products will then be sold with amended labels making it clear they are equally effective for other forms of pain.

While the company in New Zealand has agreed to the change the Commission's investigation is continuing and is expected to be completed in early 2016.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs