Advertising watchdog probes Nurofen complaints after Australia packaging court case

The UK's advertising watchdog has confirmed it is investigating complaints about an advert for Nurofen Express, after an Australian court ordered the British makers of the painkiller to stop selling some versions of its drug.

Australia's federal court ruled that Reckitt Benckiser had deceived consumers by selling Nurofen painkillers that were identical to its standard ibuprofen pills, but marketed for specific ailments and costing nearly twice as much.

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), meanwhile, is investigating 12 complaints about a television advert for Nurofen Express.

The watchdog is examining whether the advert is misleading because it implies the product targets muscles in the head.

It is also examining claims that the Nurofen Express "gives you faster headache relief than standard paracetamol or ibuprofen".

An ASA spokesman said: "We received the complaints in February and launched an investigation in March. This is a complex case and our investigation is ongoing.

"The advertiser is providing evidence to substantiate its claims, we're carefully assessing that and we'll publish our findings in due course."

A statement from Nurofen said the company was aware of the ASA investigation and that all claims about its product were supported by "robust evidence".

Australia's consumer watchdog launched its court action in March, arguing that consumers were being tricked into thinking that four products - Nurofen Back Pain, Nurofen Period Pain, Nurofen Migraine Pain and Nurofen Tension Headache - were designed to treat specific types of pain, when in fact they were all the same.