Ibum Forte leaves pharmacy shelves: now prescription-only and renamed Ibum Med

In brief

• Ibum Forte 400 mg, an ibuprofen painkiller, can no longer be bought without a prescription.
• The product has been renamed Ibum Med and reclassified from OTC to Rp status.
• The change took effect on 16 October 2026 after a decision by the URPL president, requested by Hasco-Lek.
• The decision covers only Ibum Forte 400 mg; no medical reasons were published.

Prescription-only status from 16 October

The popular painkiller and fever reducer Ibum Forte 400 mg has changed both its name and its availability category. The product, which contains 400 mg of ibuprofen, is now sold as Ibum Med and has been reclassified from over-the-counter (OTC) to prescription-only (Rp) status (Tego popularnego leku przeciwbólowego już nie kupisz bez recepty. URPL wydał decyzję – abczdrowie.pl) (Ibum Forte znika z aptek. Od teraz tylko na receptę i ze zmienioną nazwą – Rzeczpospolita) (Znany lek będzie dostępny tylko na receptę. Zmienia nazwę i opakowanie – newmedia24.pl). The change took effect on 16 October 2026, following a decision by the president of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products (URPL) (Najpopularniejszy lek przeciwbólowy od teraz na receptę. Zmienia się też nazwa – msn.com) ([Nie kupisz już go bez recepty. Popularny lek przeciwbólowy zmienia nazwę – [24tp.pl] Tygodnik Podhalański](https://24tp.pl/pl/715_o-tym-sie-mowi/156823_nie-kupisz-juz-go-bez-recepty-popularny-lek-przeciwbolowy-zmienia-nazwe.html)).

What changes for patients

Pharmacists will no longer be able to hand over the product on request. A valid prescription is now required (Popularny lek przeciwbólowy będzie na receptę. Zmienia też nazwę – radiozet.pl). Reports say the decision was made at the request of Hasco-Lek, the company responsible for the medicine. The package has also been changed, with a larger pack size mentioned in coverage.

Scope of the decision

The decision applies only to the Ibum Forte 400 mg capsules. Other Ibum products are not covered by the change. Ibum Forte was commonly used for headaches, toothache, muscle and joint pain, and menstrual cramps, as well as to lower fever during infections (Popularny lek na ból głowy zmienia nazwę. Od teraz będzie dostępny tylko na receptę – rmf.fm).

Reasons not given

No detailed medical justification for reclassifying the product has been published in the decision documents. Official records cite the decision number UR/ZD/2070/26.