Airborne Immune Support Supplements are purported to boost your immune system, thus making you less susceptible to catching a cold or flu from other airline passengers during air travel. In 2008, however, the company was forced to repay customers after being sued over claims of deceptive advertising. Airborne tablets, available in a variety of flavors, dissolve in water that becomes effervescent, in much the same manner as effervescent antacid tablets.
Airborne History
Airborne supplements were created in the early 1990s by Victoria Knight-McDowell, a former California elementary school teacher who claims to have consulted with nutrition experts and herbalists to develop a drug-free formula designed to bolster the human immune system. Containing amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, electrolytes and herbal extracts, this formula was eventually marketed as a line of over-the-counter dietary supplements. Airborne products are available in the form of tablets, powder and chewable lozenges.
How It Works
According to Airborne's website, its dietary supplements help support your immune system, which is described as "a balanced network of cells, tissues and organs" that work in conjunction with one another to keep the human body functioning properly. A 2006 investigation by ABC News reported that the products' packaging instructed users to take Airborne at the first sign that a cold was coming on, and a company advertising testimonial called Airborne a "miracle cold buster." Furthermore, Airborne issued a press release claiming that the product would get rid of most colds within an hour.
False Advertising Claims
There is no scientific evidence to back up any of these claims. In the ABC News investigation, Airborne's so-called "clinical trial" proving its claims was revealed to be a "two-man operation" that was set up specifically to conduct the Airborne study. According to David Schardt, a senior nutritionist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, there is "no credible evidence" that Airborne can protect you from catching a cold. "Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that’s been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed," said Schardt.
Settlement and Payments
In 2008, Airborne settled a lawsuit brought against the company by the Federal Trade Commission. The settlement, which prevented the case from proceeding to court, prohibited Airborne from making "false and unsubstantiated cold prevention, germ-fighting and efficacy claims." In the settlement, Airborne agreed to pay a combined $30 million to settle both the FTC lawsuit and a related private class-action lawsuit. Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, noted that there is "no credible evidence that Airborne products, taken as directed, will reduce the severity or duration of colds or provide any tangible benefit for people who are exposed to germs in crowded places."
References
- ABC News; Airbone to Refund Customers; Kate Barett; March 2008
- Science-Based Medicine; Airborne Settles Case on False Advertising; Steven Novella; March 2008
- Airborne Effervescent Health Formula: What's In It?
- Federal Trade Commision: Makers of Airborne Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Advertising; Agreement Brings Total Settlement Funds to $30 Million; August 2008
- Airborne Effervescent Health Formula: Our Belief
- Airborne Effervescent Health Formula: History
- ABC News; Does Airborne Really Stave Off Colds?; February 2006
- Center for Science in the Public Interest; Airborne Agrees to Pay $23.3 Million to Settle Lawsuit Over False Advertising of its "Miracle Cold Buster;" March 2008
