How you get scammed with cold and flu medicine…

As Britain battles the ‘octopus’, a ‘flu’ and an explosion of other bugs, cures that promise to banish colds are flying off shop shelves.

But there is no reason to trust only drinks from brands like Sudafed and Benylin.

Alternative private labels sold at Boots, Superdrug and beyond may have exactly the same formula, only they are cheaper due to different packaging.

For example, Sudafed’s Congestion & Headache Relief Day & Night capsules, which cost up to £5 in pharmacies, are identical to an Asda own-brand version which sells for just £2.

Morrisons, Superdrug and Boots also sell their own versions for less than £3.

Deborah Shanahan, Deals and Features editor at MoneySavingExpert, said: “Expensive adverts can claim that a flu remedy is better.

“But if you look at the identical PL numbers on the back, you’ll see that it usually has the same ingredients as others, just in a different packaging.

“The difference in price can be staggering, often more than double.”

Every medicine approved for sale in the UK is given a unique product license number (PL for short).

You can find the numbers on the medicine packaging and on the leaflet.

A MailOnline audit has revealed that Sudafed’s Congestion & Headache Relief Day & Night medicine, which costs up to £5, is in fact identical to an Asda own-brand version sold for just £2.

If the PL number matches a number on another product, it means that it is an identical medicine – with the same active ingredients and the same formulation – just packaged in a different box.

MailOnline has found several examples of brand name drugs such as Sudafed and Benylin which actually contain identical active ingredients to some retail own brand drugs but cost significantly more.

The strongest contrast was seen with Benylins Cold & Flu Max Strength Capsules (£4.79), which have PL number 12063/0066.

Fight against cold and flu drugs: Pharmacists say they face shortages of Lemsip, Night Nurse and other medicines when they are in high demand, as people unable to see their GP turn to over-the-counter medicines instead apply

Cold and flu medicine was in short supply at a Morrisons in the market town of St Ives, Cambridgeshire

But you can buy the exact same product at Wilko for €1.50 under the name Max Strength Cold and Flu Capsules.

This makes the Benylin version three times more expensive.

Another example of this is Sudafed Sinus Max Strength (£4.50) with PL number 12063/0067.

The same remedy is available from Asda for £1.75, Wilko for £2 and Boots for £2.99.

However, this is not a general rule as options at Boots and Superdrug were more expensive than the Beechams version of the same drug.

Boots Ultra Cold & Flu All In One Powder costs £4.49, while Beecham’s Max Strength All In One Hot Lemon Menthol sachets retail for £3.85.

The website MoneySavingExpert, created by Martin Lewis, recommends checking PL numbers when buying medicine and says: “The pharmaceutical industry is full of real wizards – both those who make the drugs that help and the marketers who make a whole. ” Use a variety of tricks to convince us that there is a hidden magic in their brands.

“Drug companies spend millions promoting ‘just use the name you know’ messages … but it’s often nonsense.”

It adds: “It’s important to realize that you can often save a lot by buying an identical pill, just in a different pack. Some tablets cost half as much as their doubles.”

It seems that Sudafed even sells the same medication in different packs, as the Sinus Max Strength Capsules and Congestion & Headache Relief Max Strength Capsules are actually identical.

The brand’s Congestion & Headache Relief Day & Night Capsules and Mucus Relief Day & Night Capsules are also the exact same medication, although they are sold as different products.

Sudafed’s parent company, Johnson & Johnson, told MailOnline: “Our packaging aims to help consumers easily understand which products are best for them based on their symptoms.

“This includes complying with UK rules on the clear labeling of active ingredients on the front of the pack.

The biggest contrast was seen with Benylins Cold & Grip Max Strength Capsules, which cost up to £4.79, but you can buy the exact same product from Wilko for £1.50 under the Max Strength Cold & Grip Capsules name

“As with any self-medication drug, consumers should always read and follow label and leaflet directions.

“If consumers have questions about the correct use of a medicine, they can consult a doctor.”

A Boots spokesperson said: “Boots stocks a very wide range of cough and cold products, including Beechams products, but does not stock this particular Beechams Ultra All In One Hot Lemon Menthol Sachets.

“We have been told by the manufacturers that the suggested retail price of the Beechams product is £5.32 compared to our own brand alternative product which we sell for £4.49.

“We also offer cheaper cough and cold products within our own brand range, including other powder sachets from £3.49.”

A Superdrug spokesperson said: “We aim to offer our customers the best possible value and we have a wide range of Superdrug own brand cough and cold products including powder sachets from £2.99.

“Our own brand Flu Max all-in-one sachets contain an expectorant – used to clear mucus from your airways – which the Beecham product in this price comparison list does not have.”

It comes after MailOnline revealed that pharmacists are running out of stocks of the most common cold and flu medicines amid high demand.

As cold and flu cases continue to rise, those unable to see their GP are turning to over-the-counter treatments, which one expert says has increased demand.

Due to “increased demand,” medicines such as Lemsip and Day and Night Nurse and other store-brand cold and flu medicines are sold out, and pharmacists are photographing empty shelves.

The chairman of the association of independent multiple pharmacies, dr. Leyla Hannbeck said the problem was “widespread” and not just limited to one product.

So that you don’t pay more for cold and flu medicines than you have to, MailOnline has created a table showing which medicines are the same and where you can buy them cheapest.

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