Not all Neurofen is the same - oh, yes it is

[Michael Browne]

Australia’s competition watchdog is taking the maker of the painkiller Nurofen to court over false claims about its “specific pain” product range.

 

Nurofen Back Pain, Nurofen Period Pain, Nurofen Migraine Pain and Nurofen Tension Headache are all marketed differently by Reckitt Benckiser Australia and sometimes sold for different prices, but they contain the same 342mg quantity of active ingredient, ibuprofen lysine.

 

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Thursday it was seeking “penalties and costs” from the UK-based multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company, as well as the “publication of corrective notices”.

 

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/mar/05/accc-sues-reckitt-benckiser-over-false-claims-on-nurofen-packets

[p3t3r]

Nurofen is just ibuprofen. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

You can buy a packet of nurofen in around £3 or a pack of generic ibuprofen for about 50p, both are exactly the same apart from the name.

 

Ibuprofen is quite an old drug, 50 maybe 60 years old now, but despite being an old discovery, it is an effective drug.

[dx100uk]

same as the idiots that pay +£5 for lemsip and the rest of those stupid products

 

its a paracetamol nothing more

 

its all in the clever adverts..nothing is stronger than XXX

no that's right they are ALL THE SAME!!

 

 

dx

[SabreSheep]

This was on watchdog last year sometime

 

Got a headache

 

Take a tablet for period pain

 

IN seriousness the active ingredient is listed on each pack as a number somewhere. That is the number that appears on all the same family of painkillers

[stifle]

Or you could get 3 packs of generic ibuprofen from Poundland for a quid. Unfortunately that's branding and advertising for you. Same reason thetrainline is still in business despite also charging more for the same product.

[snowdragon]

same as all cough medicine. did you know none of them actually work! There was an article about cough medicine and the main census was DO NOT BOTHER!

[Sparks_]

same as the idiots that pay +£5 for lemsip and the rest of those stupid products

 

its a paracetamol nothing more

 

its all in the clever adverts..nothing is stronger than XXX

no that's right they are ALL THE SAME!!

 

 

dx

 

It also contains a decongestant

[unclebulgaria67]

Is the argument that the actual medicines are mostly the same, but the way they are produced is different. Some contain additional ingredients or are of a design that they target pain areas or act fast or are slow release.

 

I had this conversation with a GP once and they said that although the actual medicine was the same, it was the way it was manufactured to deliver it in the most effective way. You can get side effects from one brand and not another, because one contains some ingredient that is to do with the delivery of the medicine into your system.

[watchdog19664]

I'm surprised a site Team member labels everyone idiots because they pay for a branded product?? is this not a case of educating people to be more aware that these products can be purchased in cheaper forms albeit with less pretty packaging and gimmicky adverts?

[unclebulgaria67]

I'm surprised a site Team member labels everyone idiots because they pay for a branded product?? is this not a case of educating people to be more aware that these products can be purchased in cheaper forms albeit with less pretty packaging and gimmicky adverts?

 

Trouble is that some comment is not based on all of the scientific evidence available. You can say someone is an idiot for buying a more expensive option, but perhaps they buy it because it works. They may have tried other products, which they did not find as effective.

 

Ibruprofen is the main ingredient, but they don't always list the ingredients included that delivers it within the body. Apparently most drugs contain other ingredients which help the body absorb it more slowly or more quickly.

[p3t3r]

Is the argument that the actual medicines are mostly the same, but the way they are produced is different. Some contain additional ingredients or are of a design that they target pain areas or act fast or are slow release.

 

I had this conversation with a GP once and they said that although the actual medicine was the same, it was the way it was manufactured to deliver it in the most effective way. You can get side effects from one brand and not another, because one contains some ingredient that is to do with the delivery of the medicine into your system.

 

Mostly generic medicine is exactly the same as branded medicine. Each drug has a listing of every ingredient it uses.

The GP is paid extra money on top of their salary to market various drugs. As a salerperson. Many would see my comment as unbelievable, but unfortunately this is the case.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said that most of the 44 biggest companies had now revealed how much they paid doctors to help market their drugs. Its aggregated total of £40m is based on 35 suppliers who have shared precise information with the body and estimates for the rest.

Quoted from:http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/apr/05/drug-companies-pay-doctors-40m

 

Some tablets may look different, size, shape, colour, between generic tablets and branded tablets, some may have slightly different ingredients listed, but even if there are different ingredients then if you check on such ingredients you'll see they have no added extra benefits to the effectiveness.

 

Your GP, whilst not technically incorrect in their answer, did not supply you with a better more accurate answer.

[stifle]

I don't believe GPs in the UK receive extra money to promote certain products. That may be an American thing.

[GrumpyToSayTheLeast]

same as the idiots that pay +£5 for lemsip and the rest of those stupid products

 

its a paracetamol nothing more

 

its all in the clever adverts..nothing is stronger than XXX

no that's right they are ALL THE SAME!!

 

 

dx

 

Sorry DX but most of us "idiots" take Lemsip and the like as they contain more than just paracetamol.

[p3t3r]

I don't believe GPs in the UK receive extra money to promote certain products. That may be an American thing.

 

It is also a UK thing. As well as Poland, Australia, Croatia, etc... It isn't something new either. Read the link I put in post if you don't believe what I write as that link was directly to an article about British GPs being paid by the drug companies.

 

Also, GPs are paid upto £55 to diagnose dimentia. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11222003/Dementia-I-dont-want-a-55-bribe-to-diagnose-patients.html

 

 

This link: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/apr/05/drug-companies-pay-doctors-40m

shows how much British doctors are paid to market their drugs.

 

stifle - i did say in my last post that many would see my comment as unbelievable.

i wish i was wrong, but unfortunately am not.

[caro]

My GP told me some time ago not to bother with lemsip as honey, hot lemon and parecetamol did the same thing. He also suggested avoiding cough medicines as that was natures way of getting rid of the rubbish on your chest and it wasn't a good idea to suppress it. He also gave private prescriptions if the drug was cheaper than an NHS prescription.

[ploddertom]

Providing the PL numbers are the same then the active ingredients iin cheaper versions are the same as in more expensive ones (branded items usually).

[GrumpyToSayTheLeast]

What next, sue Cadburys as their chocolate is five time the price of happy shopper chocolate and yet its "the same".

Different companies make their items to different exacting standards. The general ingredients may be the same but the technology used in putting the ingredients together will be different.

 

And yes, Lemsip could be substituted by mixing lemon, honey and paracetamol together in some warm water. Or I can just buy a pack of Lemsip and avoid the hassle and mess of making it myself. What they wish to charge for it is up to the company that makes it. You are not being forced to buy it.

 

Its the same with ibuprofen. If you want to trust some tablet that may have dubious ingredients made in some ramshackle tin shed half way across the world, then you go for it. Id rather put my trust in a product made in a controlled environment with multiple checks in place to make sure its not contaminated or bulked out with chalk.

If I can find a cheaper product than ibuprofen and its clearly says MADE in the UK, and not just packaged in the UK, then id give it a shot.

You can say the cheaper stuff is fine as ita sold by reputable sellers. How about Tesco. One of the largest companies in the UK. Trust them?

 

Two words. Horse meat.

 

They couldn't tell what went in out fresh meat, you think they will have a clue about medicine.

[tobyjugg2]

 

Its the same with ibuprofen. If you want to trust some tablet that may have dubious ingredients made in some ramshackle tin shed half way across the world, then you go for it. Id rather put my trust in a product made in a controlled environment with multiple checks in place to make sure its not contaminated or bulked out with chalk.

If I can find a cheaper product than ibuprofen and its clearly says MADE in the UK, and not just packaged in the UK, then id give it a shot.

 

Boots, the developer of Neurofen (ibuprofen), moved its manufacturing to 'Asia years ago didn't it?

 

and read the following

http://www.webmd.boots.com/news/20110827/all-nurofen-plus-tablets-recalled

 

 

and this:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/apr/08/healthandwellbeing.consumeraffairs

 

"According to the RPS, the painkiller Nurofen was Britain's bestselling over-the-counter drug in 2007. There are many different Nurofen products but in all of them the main active ingredient is ibuprofen. While Nurofen retails at £2.89 for a pack of 24 tablets each containing 200mg of ibuprofen, Cuprofen, made by Seton Healthcare, offers a pack of 24 tablets each containing the same 200mg of ibuprofen for only £1.10. "If you choose the Nurofen," says Nyss, "you are simply paying for the box."

But is it worth paying more for the additional benefits some Nurofen products offer? Nurofen Express, for instance, offers 400mg of ibuprofen - a prescription dosage - in a special "twice as fast" liquid capsule form (£3.82 for 10 capsules). "A liquid capsule probably wouldn't speed up the process much at all," says Nyss. "In fact, ibuprofen works very quickly as it is - on average it takes about 15 minutes to be absorbed by the body." A pack of 24 Cuprofen tablets containing the same 400mg of ibuprofen costs only £1.95.

Nurofen Tension Headache comes in "caplet" form, but what makes it specifically effective for treating tension headaches? "They offer exactly the same ibuprofen dosage [as regular Nurofen] - 200mg," says Nyss. The only difference is that these pills are oval-shaped and contain something called lysine. "Lysine is a different base that supposedly makes it easier for your body to absorb the ibuprofen," says Nyss.

Nurofen Plus does, however, seem relatively unusual, offering a combination of ibubrofen (200mg) and codeine (12.8mg). "I don't know of any generic equivalents to this," admits Nyss. "But really, 400mg of generic ibuprofen will work just as well."

[spalding78]

Boots isn't even British any more. It's a subsidiary of a US holding company.

[ploddertom]

There's a vast difference between Cadbury's & Happy Shopper chocolate - not just the price. A PL number guarantees the active ingredients and cannot just use "general" ones. As said above I would have less faith in Boots these days than someone like Galpharm who are British yet sell identical products at a lot less. As aretailer I am at the sharp end of the market and although there are those who will only buy branded there are many more who just want something that will do the job. I have not sold Nurofen or Anadin for years now.

[tobyjugg2]

same as the idiots that pay +£5 for lemsip and the rest of those stupid products

 

its a paracetamol nothing more

 

its all in the clever adverts..nothing is stronger than XXX

no that's right they are ALL THE SAME!!

 

 

dx

 

 

Need to be careful about that. Its nearer aspirin than a paracetamol.

Both ibuprofen and aspirin are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

[p3t3r]

Need to be careful about that. Its nearer aspirin than a paracetamol.

Both ibuprofen and aspirin are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

 

I dont bother with Lemsip, I dont have much knowledge of it.

 

I thought that Lemsip contained either paracetamol or ibuprofen.

 

 

Branded medicine VS generic medicine = Right Twix VS Left Twix. Effectively the same ingredients, just marketed in a different way.

 

But that is not to say that all generic medicines have same effectiveness as branded medicines as that could be dangerous advice especially with anti-epileptic drugs, heart drugs, asthma - mainly due to the different absorption rates

[ploddertom]

You are now confusing non-prescription medcines with prescription only ones.

[p3t3r]

You are now confusing non-prescription medcines with prescription only ones.

 

I am well aware of the differences between OTC and prescription drugs. No confusion.

 

It is common for the pharmacist to dispense a generic drug in place of a branded one. To substitute a drug to save money.

[ploddertom]

I am well aware of the differences between OTC and prescription drugs. No confusion.

 

It is common for the pharmacist to dispense a generic drug in place of a branded one. To substitute a drug to save money.

 

I assume you have proof to back that up as that is a very serious allegation.