ASMI finds RB in breach
September 16, 2015
Reckitt Benckiser has been
ordered to pay a fine of $20,000
by the Australian Self-Medication
Industry Complaints Panel, over
complaints about claims made in
advertising and promotion of RB’s
Nuromol earlier this year.
AFT Pharmaceuticals raised a
formal complaint in May, and after
the complaints process has been
completed a final determination
has been made, finding Reckitt
Benckiser in breach of the ASMI
Code of Practice in four instances.
These included an advertorial in
the Australian Journal of Pharmacy,
an email from the RB Health Hub,
a “Weekly Dose” from Blooms the
Chemist and a Nuromol detail aid.
AFT said it was concerned about
claims that the efficacy of Nuromol,
which is a combination of ibuprofen
and paracetamol, was “greater than
double dose of single actives”.
A Reckitt Benckiser study
found that although ibuprofen
200mg/paracetamol 500mg was
significantly more effective over
eight hours than paracetamol
1000mg, it was “not significantly
different from ibuprofen 400mg,”
and based on this information the
ASMI panel found in favour of AFT.
AFT also said a statement on
the RB Health Hub which stated
that “Nuromol with Synchro-
Tech is the only paracetamol/
ibuprofen analgesic to provide
more powerful pain relief than two
tablets of a paracetamol/codeine
combination” was inaccurate and
misleading, because it “inferred
that [AFT’s] Maxigesic would not
have more powerful pain relief
than paracetamol/codeine and that
there is no data to support this
claim”.
The Panel ruled that, so far as RB
is aware, Maxigesic had not been
tested against two tablets of a
paracetamol/codeine combination
and so had failed to substantiate
its claim.
As well as being fined $5,000 for
each of the “moderate breaches”
found by the panel, Reckitt
Bencikser was ordered to cease
publication of any representations
that ibuprofen in Nuromol with
Synchro-Tech is absorbed faster
into the bloodstream than if taken
alone; and that Nuromol has
greater efficacy than ibuprofen
400mg taken alone - until the
claims can be supported by clinical
evidence.
All existing stocks of the
offending detail aid were ordered
to be destroyed, and the Blooms
category manager was told to
circulate a statement of correction.
AFT said the outcome of
the complaints process was a
“significant result for AFT and
Maxigesic” - to view the final
determination see asmi.com.au.
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