Are max strength cold and flu pills worth the money?

Your throat's painful, your head throbs and your blocked nose has kept you awake all night. It's that time of year again - flu season - and you'll try anything to feel normal. "The big brands have been around for a while, they've been tested, and there are adverts on the TV saying they're really good," says Prof Jayne Lawrence, head of the pharmacy division at the University of Manchester.

"But in reality, there's very little difference. Personally, I'd always go for the cheaper ones - and they’ve also been tested." The trade association representing over-the-counter medicine makers says familiar brands can reassure shoppers and help them find the right product on crowded supermarket shelves. Cold and flu drugs fall into three broad camps: household names such as Lemsip and Sudafed; supermarket own-label alternatives; and single-ingredient medicines containing paracetamol or ibuprofen.

A packet of 16 Lemsip All-In-One Max Strength tablets retails at £7.30, more than 20 times the £0.35 cost of paracetamol pills in some supermarkets.