'Targeted' tablets a pain

Experts say painkiller labels are misleading. Photo / Thinkstock

Suffering from a backache, migraine, tension headache or period pain?

The corporation behind supermarket painkiller Nurofen reckons it has the solution - a range of products that provide "targeted pain relief" for each of these ailments.

But while each product in the range claims to treat a specific area of the body, the only difference between Nurofen Back Pain, Nurofen Migraine, Nurofen Period Pain and Nurofen Tension Headache is the packaging.

All contain identical tablets - 342mg ibuprofen lysine.

University of Auckland School of Pharmacy director Maree Jensen said a person who tried to treat pains in different areas of the body with an assortment of these products would be at risk of an overdose, as it was not safe to take more than six tablets in a 24-hour period.

"People might think, 'I've got a sore back so I'll take a couple of these, and I've also got a headache as well so I might have some of the migraine tablets too'," Jensen said.

MedSafe requires these products to carry the warning "do not take with other medicines containing ibuprofen".

And claims that the products provided "targeted pain relief" were dubious, she said.

"Everybody thinks pills are magic. But it goes into the entire blood stream, it's not going just to your sore knee."

Nurofen regional medical affairs director Janie Heywood said the labelling was designed to help consumers "navigate the range and identify the best product for their type of pain".

"This is why the names of these products clearly convey that they treat the specific conditions," she said.

But AUT University's associate professor of marketing, Mark Glynn, called the products "misleading". "It's the same product with different packaging."