- Airborne (dietary supplement)
Airborne is a
dietary supplement and health formula which claimed to help ward off harmful bacteria and germs, and help prevent the flu and thecommon cold .On March 4, 2008, Airborne Health Inc. agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought against the company for falsely claiming that Airborne prevented colds. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/inc_com/inc1204579617407.html?ref=smallbusiness Airborne Settles Lawsuit] , "
New York Times , by Alexandra Zendrian, March 7, 2008.] Customers are being refunded for any Airborne they have purchased. [ [http://www.airbornehealthsettlement.com/ Airborne Settlement] ]The formula of Airborne, created by a school teacher, contains
herbal extract s,amino acids ,antioxidants ,electrolytes , syntheticvitamin s, and other ingredients, and can be purchased in many U.S. retail stores over-the-counter in three different forms: a tablet which can be taken orally or dissolved in water, a chewable "Gummi" lozenge, or aconcentrate d powder.Invention and retail success
The formula for Airborne was developed by
Victoria Knight-McDowell , an elementary school teacher fromCarmel, California . Although the company does not mention the true origins of the herbal component of the product—simply listing the herbs, and claiming that it was "developed by a schoolteacher"—the formula in fact closely mirrors a classical Chinese formula called "yin chiao." In the early 1990s, she began brewing herbal and vitamin cocktails and began selling it in tablet form to local drug stores. Knight-McDowell contracted with cartoonistLloyd Dangle to create Airborne's brand and packaging. In 1997 specialty grocery chainTrader Joe's ordered 300 cases of Airborne tablets to sell, and by 1999 other larger chains, such asWal-Mart andRite Aid , began stocking Airborne.Testing, research, and controversy
Although the manufacturer recommends that Airborne be taken "at the first sign of a cold symptom, or before entering crowded environments, like airplanes and offices," Airborne has not undergone any testing by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).There are few scientific studies supporting Airborne's effectiveness. The study often referenced in favor of Airborne was sponsored by the Knight-McDowell Labs, manufacturers of Airborne.ref|tcnj "GNG Pharmaceutical Services Inc.", claims to have conducted this study with 120 people, and reported that 47% of Airborne recipients showed little or no cold or flu symptoms, whereas only 23% of the recipients of a
placebo pill showed equal results.ref|A However, in February of2006 ,ABC News discovered that GNG Pharmaceutical Services has no official clinic, scientists, or even doctors. In fact the company comprises only two men, who started the company just to perform this study. Because of the bad publicity that this controversy has brought forth, Knight-McDowell Labs has removed all references to the study from their packaging and web site.ref|controversyA medical report on drugs and therapeutics regarding Airborne, along with its emphasis that the evidence of cold prevention or treatment of the formula is inconclusive, gives reason to believe that the supplement is unsafe as directed, specifically regarding its excess of vitamin C:
There are some concerns. First, there is no conclusive evidence that this product or any of its ingredients prevents colds or shortens their duration. Second, the adult tablet contains 1 g of vitamin C, and the directions for use advise taking 1 tablet at the first sign of a cold and repeating the dose every 3 hours as necessary. Vitamin C in doses higher than 1 g increases oxalate and urate excretion and may cause
kidney stones (EN Taylor et al, J Am Soc Nephrol 2004; 15:3225). Third, the safety of this herbal extraction combination has not been established. And with herbs and dietary supplements in general, we only have the manufacturers’ word on the label for what’s in them.ref|CAlthough it has been determined that extreme amounts of vitamin C can lead to death
[ ] , in recent publications the link between excess doses of vitamin C and kidney stones has been disputed along with severe constipation and blood in stool.ref|Dref|E Vitamin C exhibits remarkably low toxicity. The LD50 (the dose that will kill 50% of a population) in rats is generally accepted to be 11.9 grams per kilogram when taken orally. ref|JPregnant women are advised to exercise caution regarding Airborne consumption. Excess preformed vitamin A during early pregnancy has been associated with a significant increase in life-threatening birth defects. Vitamin A is indeed necessary for fetal development, but most women already carry stores of it in their fat cells. Researchers recommend that pregnant women either restrict their supplemental consumption of vitamin A to 4,000 - 8,000 IUs daily, or they should instead consume beta carotene.ref|pregnancy
It should be noted that according to federal laws, dietary supplements such as Airborne are not tested by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration . The regulations of supplements in the U.S. are very lax, so many ineffective or even unsafe supplements are able to be sold on market until there are proven harm.Class action lawsuits and settlements
A class action lawsuit was filed 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. Defendants denied any wrongdoing or illegal conduct but have agreed to settle the litigation. [cite web | title= Airborne Settlement|url=http://www.airbornehealthsettlement.com/|accessdate=2008-03-06]
On March 4, 2008, Airborne Health Inc. agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought against the company for false advertising. [cite news | title = Airborne settles lawsuit for $23.3 million | publisher = CNN | date =
2008-03-04 | url = http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/04/news/companies/airborne_settlement/?postversion=2008030413 | accessdate = 2008-03-04] Customers with proof of purchase will be refunded for any Airborne they have ever bought. Those without proof of purchases will be reimbursed for up to six packages. Any claims must have been postmarked or received prior to September 15, 2008 in order to be considered "timely". [cite web | title = DAVID WILSON VS. AIRBORNE HEALTH, INC., ET AL. | url=http://www.airbornehealthsettlement.com/docs/claim%20form.pdf | accessdate = 2008-03-06 |format=PDF]On August 14, 2008, a press release from the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stated that Airborne Health, Inc. has agreed to pay up to $30 million to settle FTC charges. According to the FTC’s complaint:: there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims made by the defendants that Airborne tablets can prevent or reduce the risk of colds, sickness, or infection; protect against or help fight germs; reduce the severity or duration of a cold; and protect against colds, sickness, or infection in crowded places such as airplanes, offices, or schools.
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