Painkiller now bad for you: "The anti-inflammatory drug Ibuprofen, commonly sold as Nurofen, should be banned from supermarket sales because it may be unsuitable for up to one in five people, according to new research. Pharmacist Gregory Peterson, of the University of Tasmania, has warned that sales of the popular drug, which has been widely available since 2003, should be monitored because of links to an increased risk of miscarriage, gastrointestinal problems, heart attacks and asthma. "When you add up all the people for whom ibuprofen may not be suitable -- for example, those with asthma, gastric ulcer, pregnancy, cardiac disease -- it means ibuprofen may not be suitable for one in five adult Australians," Professor Peterson writes in this month's edition of the Australian Journal of Pharmacy. "The ibuprofen manufacturers and self-medication advocates argue that all these warnings appear on the pack. They point out -- rightly -- that ibuprofen has a positive safety profile when used as directed in patients without contraindications.