UPDATED 11.40am: A popular brand of painkiller may be pulled from sale in New Zealand after the manufacturer was found to have misled consumers in Australia by marketing different types of pain relief with the same ingredients.

Nurofen's pain specific product range has been ordered off shop shelves across the Tasman in a ruling by the Federal Court.

Reckitt Benckiser, the British-based pharmaceutical giant, could be fined more than $1 million after it admitted the practice.

The chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims, said the price of Nurofen was significantly higher than similar painkillers, AAP reported.

"The Nurofen specific pain products were being sold at retail prices almost double that of Nurofen's standard ibuprofen products and the general pain relief products of its competitors," he said.

Consumer New Zealand chief executive Sue Chetwin said the situation here could be similar.

"Pretty much what happens in Australia happens in New Zealand."

Ms Chetwin said it was all about the way the company marketed the products.

"When you look at the ingredients list it's all the same but charge more [for specific pain relief]."

"It's really about the marketing. You get no better pain relief."

She said Consumer NZ had looked into the Nurofen packaging. "We've always said the specialty products are no better."

She said she agreed with Australian commission's decision to pull the products from shelves.

Ms Chetwin presumed the New Zealand Commerce Commission would take the same action.

A Commerce Commission spokeswoman confirmed an investigation was under way into the painkiller products.

AAP reported that the Federal Court ordered the company to remove the products from Australian stores within three months and amend packets so consumers knew that other painkillers worked in similar ways.

Nurofen representative Montse Pena told AAP the company did not set out to mislead consumers.

"Nurofen has co-operated with the [Competition and Consumer Commission] in relation to these proceedings and will fully comply with the court order."

Nurofen New Zealand has said it will review its packaging here if required and will work with New Zealand regulators to make sure all guidelines and requirements are met.

The company has been at pains to point out that active ingredients in its Nurofen pack are different to those in the Nurofen IS pack, which contains ibuprofen lysine rather than ibuprofen.