The Repsils product, made by the Reckitt company, is very similar to the Strepsils pastilles, which are produced by the same company but are in Finland only licensed to be sold by pharmacists.
The lozenges sold in pharmacies contain local anaesthetic, whereas the store-bought version is mostly sweeteners, colourings and aroma compounds. The company was asked for an explanation at the beginning of September. It did not want to change any of the packaging or ingredients for either product, and so removed Repsils from sale.
“Reckitt’s explanation emphasised that both products are legal,” said Kristiina Pellas of Fimea. “They are not, however, on sale at the same time in any other market.”
The story was first covered in the pharmacists’ publication Apteekkari.