Australian Court Increases Fine Over 'misleading' Nurofen

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38337217

I have been following this story with great interest. Drug companies have been trying to make vast sums of money, by relying on the inability of the general public to see through scams like this.

Perhaps Reckitt Benckiser will have their corporate minds concentrated now.

[hc4361]

If they are all the same price on the shelf in the same shop I have problem with this form of marketing.

[jno]

[i]I've never heard a man say "I've got a pain in my rowlocks[i]

Cloverjo, if he has, you'll most certainly hear it, as will most of the street.

[mikey4444]

Prudie....but if you now know that there is no difference between the two pills, other than price, the placebo effect can't now still work, can it ?

You may have been mislead before, but now you know different, its hardly going to continue to work, is it ?

[jno]

mikey, if you think that's bad, have a look at this one

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/16/watchdog-accuses-actavis-hiking-price-lifesaving-drug-hydrocortisone

Price of a lifesaving drug goes up 12,000%, from 70p to £88 a tablet.

[jno]

mikey (again), believe it or not, there is evidence that placebos work even if you know about them. There's an interesting cover story in National Geographic this month about it.

[mikey4444]

jno....(11:28) ...I am not remotely surprised by that !

( 11:30 ).... As regards what you say about the placebo effect. I can understand that it might work, before realisation that here is no difference between two drugs....after all, that is what the placebo effect is all about. But I fail to see how it can continue to work, once the truth was known. That isn't the placebo effect, its just plain daft. As I understand it, placebos can only work if they are not known about.

But this issue with Nurofen wasn't about the effect of placebos....it was about misleading statements being made by the Company, in order to make more money from the sales.

And that is why the Ozzie authorities acted as they did.

[jno]

have a look at the NatGeo if it's in your library, mikey, it'll explain in more detail than I can about what we know of how people get better. The subject's still shrouded in some mystery, but some of it seems to be to do with the fact that they're taking you seriously enough to involve you in a study - the mere knowledge that you're being properly investigated may itself be of clinical benefit.

[jno]

PS yes, I know that's a bit off-topic in a thread about Nurofen, but it's fascinating all the same.

[mikey4444]

Thanks jno....I will have a look when I have a minute.