A writer friend of mine (who you’ll be meeting soon, I promise) tipped me off to the news that Airborne is settling a twenty-three million dollar class action lawsuit for false advertising.
A little bit of history: Airborne was created by a teacher as a way to prevent colds (and treat them if you already had one). The product was created in 1999 and by 2006 had made more than one hundred million dollars. Not bad for a school teacher, huh?
Too bad 2006 was the year the trouble started. A TV news report questioned the truth of Airborne’s claims. Customer protests of the product’s effectiveness prompted the class action lawsuit. Airborne has agreed to settle the claim without accepting any guilt, fault, or illegal conduct in the matter.
One change you may have noticed already: since that initial investigation, Airborne no longer touts itself as a cold fighter. Instead, it is marketed as an “immune system booster” — the vitamins in the Airborne can help you be resistant to whatever germs are out there.
Products like this are classified as dietary supplements, rather than drugs or medications. That means as long as a product doesn’t make a specific health claim, it doesn’t have to prove to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it actually works. The initial investigation into Airborne found that their so-called clinical trial only involved two people and no scientists or medical personnel. Airborne CEO Elise Donahue responded to the 2006 investigation by saying that Airborne was designed to help your body build a healthy immune system — not cure the common cold.
If you’d like to get a refund for Airborne, you have until September 15, 2008 to file a claim. Money spent on Airborne between May 2001 and November 2007 may be reimbursed in full if you have receipts or other proof or purchase or for an average retail price if you don’t have proof of purchase. Visit www.airbornehealthsettlement.com for more details and to file a claim.