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[h=1]Nurofen maker fined $1.7m for misleading customers on 'specific pain' relief range[/h]The maker of Nurofen, Reckitt Benckiser, has been fined $1.7 million for breaching consumer laws.
Last year, the Federal Court found Nurofen's "specific pain range" misled consumers because they all contained the same active ingredient and did the same thing.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had asked the Federal Court to impose a fine of $6 million.
The court earlier found that Reckitt Benckiser's range of "pain specific" products all contained the same ingredient and did the same thing.
But during the hearing to determine penalties, lawyers for Reckitt Benckiser said "rational" consumers would not think a pain-specific product was any more effective than a regular one.
The products promised to relieve either back pain, period pain, tension headache or migraine, even though it is not possible to target pain relief in such a manner.
All of the products contained the exact same active ingredient: ibuprofen lysine 342mg.
The barrister for the ACCC, Katrina Banks-Smith SC, said Reckitt Benckiser made "substantial profits" from its misleading marketing and a large fine was warranted.
"There needs to be some serious taking away of profit," she said.
Ms Banks-Smith SC said consumers had been financially harmed over the space of five years as the pain-specific products were sold at almost double the price of Nurofen's standard range.
The ACCC also argued Nurofen's competitors were disadvantaged as there was less shelf space available.
In December the company was given three months to withdraw the products from sale.
It agreed to place stickers on the products in the interim to correct the misleading claims made on the packaging.
However, lawyers for the ACCC said those stickers were being obscured in some supermarkets
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-29/nurofen-maker-fined-$1.7m-misleading-customers/7370022
Last year, the Federal Court found Nurofen's "specific pain range" misled consumers because they all contained the same active ingredient and did the same thing.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had asked the Federal Court to impose a fine of $6 million.
The court earlier found that Reckitt Benckiser's range of "pain specific" products all contained the same ingredient and did the same thing.
But during the hearing to determine penalties, lawyers for Reckitt Benckiser said "rational" consumers would not think a pain-specific product was any more effective than a regular one.
The products promised to relieve either back pain, period pain, tension headache or migraine, even though it is not possible to target pain relief in such a manner.
All of the products contained the exact same active ingredient: ibuprofen lysine 342mg.
The barrister for the ACCC, Katrina Banks-Smith SC, said Reckitt Benckiser made "substantial profits" from its misleading marketing and a large fine was warranted.
"There needs to be some serious taking away of profit," she said.
Ms Banks-Smith SC said consumers had been financially harmed over the space of five years as the pain-specific products were sold at almost double the price of Nurofen's standard range.
The ACCC also argued Nurofen's competitors were disadvantaged as there was less shelf space available.
In December the company was given three months to withdraw the products from sale.
It agreed to place stickers on the products in the interim to correct the misleading claims made on the packaging.
However, lawyers for the ACCC said those stickers were being obscured in some supermarkets
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-29/nurofen-maker-fined-$1.7m-misleading-customers/7370022