Ibuprofen to be available from supermarkets

Media release

5 April 2004

Ibuprofen to be available from supermarkets

The over-the-counter pain reliever medicine ibuprofen will be able to be sold from both supermarkets and pharmacies from May, the Ministry of Health announced today.

The Ministry’s senior advisor in Medsafe Dr Stewart Jessamine says this change means that consumers in New Zealand will have the same access to ibuprofen as consumers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Consumers here will soon be able to buy small packets of ibuprofen from the same places where they buy similar products like aspirin and paracetamol.

The decision to increase consumer access to ibuprofen arises from an application made by Boots Healthcare to the Medicines Classification Committee (MCC).

Dr Jessamine says “In reaching this decision, the Ministry considered information from the MCC, Medsafe and an independent expert.”

“Although the MCC did not support ibuprofen becoming available from supermarkets,” Dr Jessamine said “Medsafe and the independent expert believed that in this instance the safety profile of low-dose ibuprofen means it is suitable for sale from shops and supermarkets.”

Dr Jessamine says “Most recommendations made by the MCC are accepted by the Minister without change or comment from Medsafe, but the decision to accept alternate advice on an application is not that unusual and has occurred on several occasions in the past ten years.”

Dr Jessamine says ”While the decision to allow ibuprofen to become available from supermarkets was opposed by pharmacists in Australia, no new safety evidence has emerged as a result of its opposition."

Medsafe is satisfied that the controls it has placed on the dose, pack size and labeling of ibuprofen adequately manage the risks associated with use of this medication to the point that if used according to the instructions it has a similar level of safety as aspirin or paracetamol.