Airborne Makers Settle in Court $23.3 million for False Advertisement

The makers of the popular herbal remedy, Airborne, admitted no guilt and do not claim culpability but still settled for $23.3 million in a class action lawsuit brought forward by former Airborne customers. Under the agreement, Airborne customers can be reimbursed for up to six purchases by filling out a claim on the class action web site, set up at http://www.airbornehealthsettlement.com.

ABC news uncovered the dubious nature of Airborne's claims last year by bringing to light the suspect nature of the so-called "blind" "clinical trials" conducted, which were used to support Airborne's claims of effectiveness.

Airborne's Suspect Clinical Trials

The trials were conducted by a two-man operation known as GNG Pharmaceutical services, and the two employees of GNG apparently have no clinical experience or medical degrees. The operation was ostensibly set up just for Airborne's purposes.

Yet the marketing worked. Airborne pulled in over $100 dollars up until 2006. A similar phenomenon occurred with Echinacea, which was purported to fight colds, but no clinical trials have yet proven to help with colds; in fact a number of recent studies have slammed echinacea marketers' claims.

Airborne continues to claim that its remedies work, "The best proof that the product works is that 40,000 customers contact the company every year," said Ms. Donahue, Airborne's Chief Executive and iconic schoolteacher-turned-herbal-remedy success.