It is already well known to the French, but will no longer be covered in the press, on television, on the Internet or in any mainstream media. The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) announced this Thursday that ibuprofen 400 mg will no longer be advertised from 2 April. In particular, this applies to Advil, Nurofen, Spedifen and generics that are sold without a prescription.
Why this decision? Because this medicine, which is usually taken for fever or pain, can cause serious side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding and kidney damage. It may also prevent detection of a potentially serious infection. However, “the reports have increased in parallel with the increase in advertising of ibuprofen 400 mg to the general public and sales of these drugs,” the ANSM justifies.
These advertisements still contain the statement: “Use the lowest dose possible, ibuprofen is available in 200 mg doses.” But this is “unlikely to encourage patients to start” with the milder version, the agency noted. “The main idea is for patients to understand that ibuprofen treatment needs to be started wisely and correctly, that is, with the lowest dose of 200 mg and over a period of time as short as possible,” says Dr Philippe Vella, medical director of ANSM.
30 million boxes sold annually
Thus, the registration certificate will be amended to prohibit public advertising. Warned under the so-called “adversarial” procedure, the laboratories were not necessarily enthusiastic about this desire of the ANSM. It must be said that the 400 mg dosage represents the vast majority of adult ibuprofen packs sold annually in France (30 million compared to 4 million for the 200 mg version)..
But be careful: this advertising ban does not call into question the benefit-risk profile of ibuprofen 400 mg, “which remains safe and effective when used correctly,” insists Philippe Vella.
In December 2019, NASM already banned “free access” to boxes of this medicine: from this date in pharmacies they must be placed behind the counter and it is impossible to help yourself. The French agency promises to continue to act “in favor of the appropriate use of these medicines, available without a prescription and in common use.” But at this stage no further action is planned.
Source: Le Parisien
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