The painkillers were put on the market for specific types of pain, but the different boxes contained the same active ingredient and dose. The judge, who passed judgement in this case on December 14,  found this misleading for consumers. The lawsuit was brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the supervisor of the market. “Consumers buy these products because they think these products treat some kind of pain, but that is not the case,” chairman Rod Sims told The Guardian.

The Nurofen packages containing painkillers for back pain, menstrual pain, tension headache and migraine should be taken off the shelves within three months. The manufacturer has admitted in court that the boxes contained the same pills, even though different kinds of pain were mentioned on the outside of the boxes. The only thing that was different was the price, because Nurofen for specific types of pain costs almost twice as much as the standard Nurofen containing just ibuprofen. That is misleading, says the judge. All four products contain 400 g ibuprofen and they have the same excipients.