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Bosses at Nurofen are facing a major headache over the claims they have made about their painkillers.

The brand is being investigated by Britain’s advertising watchdog over allegations a TV advert misled viewers because it implied Nurofen Express directly targets muscles in the head.

Advertising Standards Authority officials are also probing whether the claim that the product “gives you faster headache relief than standard paracetamol or ibuprofen” was misleading.

Details of the nine-month investigation can be revealed a day after Nurofen – one of Britain’s biggest painkiller brands – had some of its products banned from sale in Australia .

A court in Oz ruled today that Nurofen’s UK maker, Reckitt Benckiser, had misled consumers over a separate marketing issue.

It said four products marketed to treat specific health problems – migraine, back ache, tension headache and period pain – were all identical.

Nurofen has insisted the products had been “designed to help the consumer easily navigate our range”.

But the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the court found the firm had “engaged in misleading conduct in contravention of the Australian consumer law by representing that its Nurofen specific-pain products were each formulated to treat a specific type of pain, when the products are identical”.

Each product contained the same amount of the active ingredient, ibuprofen.

The ACCC said the products were “no more effective at treating the type of pain described on its packaging than any of the other Nurofen specific-pain products”.

It also found that the products were sold for almost double the price of Nurofen’s standard product in Australia.

Of the four Nurofen packets ordered to be removed from shelves in Australia, three similar ones are on sale here.

They are meant to target period pain, migraines and tension headaches.

But a spokeswoman for Nurofen said: “This case related to Australia only and is not applicable to other countries, including the UK.

"All Nurofen products in the UK are not affected and continue to be available .”

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In the UK it costs £2 for 16 normal Nurofen tablets. It is £2.85 for 12 pain-specific ones that contain lysine that makes them act faster.

Referring to tablets in the UK, pharmacist Neal Patel, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “In the case of Nurofen’s migraine pain and the tension headache tablets, the formula is exactly the same so it’s the same drug and you can take either for the different types of pain.

“The difference between standard pills and those with lysine is that the lysine makes them faster acting but it is difficult to say by how much.”

The Medicines and ­Healthcare Products ­Regulatory Agency, which regulates medicines here, said it was not launching a probe because there were no concerns over the safety of the products.

It said products could mention certain types of pain as an aid for patients to select the appropriate one without needing advice from a doctor or pharmacist.

The agency added that making misleading medical claims was not allowed. Tory MP Andrew Percy, a member of the Commons health committee, said: “This is outrageous. Consumers in Britain deserve the same protection as those overseas.

“If these ‘misleading’ tablets are being taken off the shelves in Australia, questions have to be asked about why they are still on sale here in Britain.”

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There had been 12 complaints alleging that the television advert for Nurofen Express was misleading.

It was shown here at the start of 2015 during shows including Corrie.

Tonight an ASA spokeswoman said: “This is a complex case and our investigation is ongoing. The advertiser is providing evidence to substantiate its claims.”

Asked about the probe, Nurofen said: “We will not be commenting.”

Referring to the brand’s specific-pain range, Dr Aomesh Bhatt, regulatory and medical affairs director for Nurofen, said: “Consumer research indicates that nine in 10 people look for pain relief for a specific type of pain and seven in 10 say ­pain-specific packs help them decide which product is best for their needs.”

Dr Bhatt added: “With over half of people normally buying over-the-counter pain relief from a store or online with no ­pharmacy/pharmacist advice, pain-specific packs are particularly important to help guide consumers to the most effective and appropriate product for them.”

(Image: Alamy)

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc’s main UK operations are based in Hull, where the company was founded 200 years ago.

The firm reportedly made £8.836billion revenue last year and is due to spend £100million on a centre of excellence to open there in 2018, safeguarding 1,200 jobs.

The facility will be used to develop key products such as Nurofen and Strepsils, acquired in October 2005 from Boots.