Nurofen painkiller safe to use, says health ministry

The painkiller Nurofen has been given the clean chit by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, after rumours broke out on social media.
Stating that Nurofen is safe and licensed for use in the UAE, a senior ministry official said on Tuesday, "The medicine is safe and there are no medical warnings issued."
The medicine is available for sale without a physician's description.
Information currently circulated on social networks about Nurofen - manufacted by consumer goods multinational Reckitt Benckiser, is scientifically incorrect, said Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary at the ministry for Public Health Policy and Licensing. No warnings or international notices have been issued about it by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency, or the Australian Medicines Authority.
Dr Al Amiri added that Reckitt Benckiser informed the ministry about some varieties of Nurofen being taken off the shelves in in Australia, based on the decision of the consumer protection agency, and not any health authority. "The ruling of the Australian court is not applicable to Nurofen products in the UAE, because multiple trade names of the same medicinal composition are used there. These are not allowed as per organisational regulations in the UAE," he said.
The ministry urged the public not to be misled by news that go viral on social networks. "The news should be verified with the ministry through its communication channels," Dr Al Amiri said.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE