Once upon a time, there was a sweet called Strepsils. People thought it was medicine for sore throats.
But here’s the twist — it used to have medicine inside, and then it didn’t!
What Really Happened
- A long time ago (before 2005), Strepsils in Pakistan had real medicinal ingredients.
- In 2005, the company changed the recipe.
- They removed the medicine and made it just like normal candy.
- But… they didn’t make it very clear on the box that it was no longer medicine.
The Problem
The company that makes Strepsils — Reckitt — kept showing it in ads like it was still special sore-throat medicine.
People kept buying it, thinking,
“Yay, this will make my throat better!”
But really, it was just candy with a nice taste.
The Big Fine
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) saw what was happening and said,
“Hey! That’s misleading marketing. You can’t make people think candy is medicine.”
So, CCP fined Reckitt 150 million rupees (that’s a lot of money!).
They also told the company:
- Write clearly on the box and the strips, in both Urdu and English,
- Say it is Non-Medicated so people don’t get confused.
But Wait… There’s More!
Reckitt didn’t agree with the fine.
They went to a special court called CAT to appeal.
Guess what?
The court didn’t believe their arguments.
They understood the company’s tricks and said,
“Nope. You still have to pay the 150 million fine.”
The Lesson
Companies must be honest with their customers.
If something is just candy, they must say so clearly.
No hiding behind fancy ads.
So next time you see a sweet that looks like medicine — read the box carefully before you eat it.