The makers of Airborne tablets have agreed to pay 30 million dollars to settle a class-action lawsuit and charges that their germ-prevention is…well…useless.
We all kind of knew this was the case, but now we can’t even pretend. The placebo effect works sometimes, but not if there’s a settled lawsuit in the books.
Maybe they’ll start selling the fruit-flavored tablets as candy or a fun, fuzzy, effervescent…thing…you drink. Or maybe they’ll make something that actually works. Yeah…probably not.
What’s next? Zicam? Green tea extract? Age-defying face cream? Soon, we’ll have nothing left to believe in!
Here’s more, from FOXNews:
- The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday there is no evidence that products from Bonita Springs, Fla.-based Airborne Health Inc. “provide any tangible benefit for people who are exposed to germs in crowded places.”
- Airborne’s chief executive stressed that the FTC charges deal with advertising and labeling that the company no longer uses.
- The FTC action adds $6.5 million to a previous class action settlement in which Airborne agreed to pay $23.5 million in customer refunds and attorney fees.
- That agreement is pending approval in federal court in California. After the FTC agreement is approved, Airborne’s founders will be barred from making false or unsubstantiated claims about cold prevention products.
Read the full story here.
Daddydoctor 3 months ago
I for one am tired of profiteers giving the natural supplement business a bad name. These companies will manipulate research to trick people into thinking their products can product unrealistic health effects.
If you notice, they will never let you see any information about a study that hard outcomes that people care about (i.e. a placebo controlled trial that showed people got better sooner, or that they did not have symptoms as severe or as long). They will take facts such as “our product has anti-oxidants” and then make unsubstantiated claims like “you will get better faster.”
Don’t get me wrong, there are some very legitimate products out there, and there are some products that probably work but just have not been studied yet. But be wary of a product that refuses to go to the final level of research by doing studies against a placebo with out comes that matter to people.
Companies should give open access to all relevant research and then let people read & decide for themselves. Compare the below website with others, and you will see how focusing on and giving access to relevant studies helps the public make informed decisions. http://www.honeydontcough.com/
The industry should adopt the higher standard.
-DaddyDoctor