Airborne Formula Cold Prevention Claims Unsubstantiated – NAD
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Knight-McDowell Labs lacks reliable scientific data to support claims that its Airborne Formula dietary supplement is "a miracle cold buster," the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus states in its January NAD Case Reports
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Knight-McDowell Labs lacks reliable scientific data to support claims that its Airborne Formula dietary supplement is "a miracle cold buster," the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus states in its January NAD Case Reports. "Given the absence of any competent and reliable scientific evidence in the record demonstrating that Airborne can prevent or cure colds," NAD recommends Knight-McDowell discontinue use of the claims, which appear in in-flight airline magazines. As part of its routine monitoring program, the CBBB division challenged several claims for Airborne, including: "Take at the first sign of a cold symptom, or before entering crowded places like airplanes," and "100% satisfaction guaranteed." NAD determined "the net impression created by the advertisement is that by taking Airborne, consumers can protect themselves from catching colds." However, after evaluating Federal Trade Commission guidelines for dietary supplement advertising, NAD concluded it "was very concerned by the absence of any testing on the...product itself, particularly given the breadth of the performance claims for the product." "Although the advertiser submitted some studies regarding some of the active ingredients in its product, it submitted no testing on the product itself, and did not demonstrate that the ingredients in its product were identical (in quantity, quality or dosage) to those tested in the studies submitted," NAD says. The watchdog group also denounced several consumer endorsements appearing in the Airborne ad, noting "anecdotal evidence about the individual experience of consumers is not sufficient to substantiate claims about the effectiveness of a supplement." In its response, Knight-McDowell defended its claims as fully substantiated, stating the label, packaging and advertisements for Airborne "are in compliance with FDA regulations." Despite these assertions, the company said that "for reasons not related to the present inquiry," it had discontinued the challenged ad and is conducting a double-blind clinical trial on the efficacy of Airborne. The 1 Airborne Formula Web site, however, still contains the challenged claims. |