Airborne Must Stop False Ads

December 2008

Airborne Health Inc. will be forced to stop advertisements for its product Airborne according to the terms of a recent settlement. Prosecutors alleged that the dietary supplement was dramatically misrepresented to consumers.

Prosecutors said that the company's advertisements portrayed Airborne as a cold remedy even though there wasn't any scientific data to support its effectiveness in treating colds. Prosecutors also pointed out that the company asked retailers to place Airborne in the cold and cough aisles, which further misrepresented the nature of the product.

Victoria Knight-McDowell, a teacher, and her husband founded Airborne Health Inc. in 1997. They will also have to pay $7 million to 33 states, the prosecutors announced. Airborne was first sold as a cold remedy on the Internet in the summer of 2000.