Sky Investigation: Branded Painkillers Do Same Job

As figures show consumers in the UK are spending more on painkillers than ever before, a Sky News investigation reveals branded pills that claim to target pain can cost up to four times more than unbranded tablets.

For example, packets of 16 tablets of ibuprofen, some claiming to target period pain or migraines, can cost up to £3.99. The comparable generic version costs just £1.35.

Some store-brand paracetamol tablets are less than 1p per pill, whereas well-known name-brands can cost 20p each.

The painkillers industry was worth nearly £357m last year - an increase of 3.4% in just a year, figures show.

Jayne Lawrence, professor of biophysical pharmaceutics at Kings College London, said: "Some people believe that by taking a more expensive preparation, perhaps a branded formulation, they'll get better pain relief.

"If it's the same dose of drug, in the same formulation, the customer will experience no difference."

Packets of painkillers are each printed with a Product Licence Code, which identifies the ingredients and proves the medicine has been permitted for sale.

Boxes with the same Product Licence Codes contain identical ingredients, yet some are marketed and sold for specific problems like tension headache, for women with period pain or especially for joint pain.

According to Prof Lawrence, pain relief medications taken in pill form cannot target specific areas of the body, but only act on general pain in the body.

She added that it can be confusing and potentially dangerous for patients who may believe if they have two different aches, that two types of pain relief are required and they could end up taking more than the recommended dose.

Claims to target pain may be misleading for consumers, but Dr Ellie Cannon says the patient experience may be different with more expensive names.

"What's going to be different is the taste of the medicine, how easy it is to swallow," she said.

John Smith, the consumer healthcare spokesman and chief executive of the Proprietary Association of Great Britain which represents branded pain medicines like Nurofen and Feminax, said: "The brands are always more expensive, but if you look at what we do, we continue to invest in brands to bring new products to the marketplace.

"That gives people the choice. It's then up to the individual when you go to the store to choose a product that you believe is safe and effective."