Airborne Lawsuit - Airborne Settlement - Airborne Refund

Airborne Lawsuit, airborne, airborne refund, airborne recall, airborne news, airborne settlement

People who have taken the herbal formula Airborne with the hope of curing or fending off the common cold are eligible for refunds from the company.

Airborne will pay $23.3. million to settle a class action lawsuit over false advertising. Legal battles beginning in 2006 called into question the product's claims as a "miracle cold buster."
"You can say your product prevents or cures the common cold if you have data to support that," said Ronald Turner, professor of pediatrics and associate dean for clinical research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "What happened with Airborne is that they made the claim, but had no data."

Since its creation in 1999 by a former second grade schoolteacher, Airborne sales have soared, surpassing $100 million by 2006.

The product has been touted as a way to ward off a cold if taken prior to entering a germ-laden area, like an airplane or school, or to cure a cold that's already been caught.

Airborne and many other remedies are classified as dietary supplements, not drugs, which means as long as they don't make specific health claims, they don't have to prove to the government that they work.

But a February 2006 investigation by ABC's "Good Morning America" found Airborne might not work as advertised. The investigation revealed that Airborne's clinical trial was conducted by just two people in the absence of a clinic or scientists.

At that time, Airborne's CEO, Elise Donahue, resisted the notion that Airborne is a cold remedy.

"I would never sit here and tell you that it's a cure for the common cold," she said. "We don't know if Airborne is a ... cure for the common cold. What Airborne does is, it helps your body build a healthy immune system. When you have a healthy immune system, then it allows your body, on its own, to fight off germs."

Since then, the company has toned down its claims, and the word "cold" is no longer anywhere on the packaging. A recorded message today at Airborne said, "Defendants deny any wrongdoing or illegal conduct, but have agreed to settle the litigation."

According to the recent settlement agreement, people with valid claims will be reimbursed for the amount they spent on Airborne from May 2001 through November 2007 if they still have receipts. Consumers without receipts are eligible to receive money back for as many as six packages each, based on average retail prices of the products. Those prices range from $2.75 per box of Gummi lozenges to $10.50 per box for Airborne Seasonal.
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First let's look at the current status of Airborne settlement. Settlement has been proposed in a class action lawsuit that alleges that Airborne Health, Inc. (and other defendants) (“Airborne”) falsely advertised certain therapeutic properties, including the ability to cure or prevent the common cold, when marketing products under the Airborne brand name, as listed below.

Defendants deny any wrongdoing or illegal conduct but have agreed to settle the litigation. This website provides information on the lawsuit and proposed Settlement.

There is no proof that the popular Airborne assists the health of an individual beyond the effect of a placebo. Airborne has been sued for false advertising and this week the company has agreed to settle the lawsuit and pay $23.3 million. Airborne will soon offer refunds to the people who believed in the product.

Suspicion arose when the clinical tests for Airborne were released. Basically, it was a non-scientific study where 2 dudes ran some tests. No scientists or doctors helped out. Turns out if you tout medical cures you need proof somewhere that isn't your cousin and his friend in the shed fixing the numbers.

“There’s no credible evidence that what’s in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt, who reviewed Airborne’s claims. “Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that’s been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed.”

Consumers seeking refunds for purchases of Airborne can obtain a claim form by writing to the Airborne Class Action Settlement Administrator, PO Box 1897, Faribault, MN 55021-7152, calling 1-888-952-9080, or by visiting www.AirborneHealthSettlement.com
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The Airborne dietary supplement, which claims to help ward off the cold and flu, has reached a tentative settlement in a class action lawsuit that the company misrepresented its product. You can file online or by mail here. Boxes of Airborne used to cite a study by "GNG Pharmaceutical Services Inc" that said it tested 120 people and 47% showed little or no cold flu symptoms, versus 23% of a placebo. However, an ABC news investigation revealed that GNG was a two-man operation started up just to make the Airborne study, and had no clinic, scientists or doctors. Following the negative publicity, Knight-McDowell Labs removed references to the GNG study from its packages. Maybe people just weren't reading the box carefully and failed to apply directly to the forehead.

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