Dietary Supplements, Nutrition

Airborne is a dietary supplement and health formula which is claimed to help ward off harmful bacteria and germs, and help prevent the flu and the common cold. more...

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The formula contains herbal extracts, amino acids, antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins, and other nutrients, and can be purchased in many U.S. retail stores over-the-counter in three different forms: a tablet which can be taken orally or dissolved in water, a chewable "Gummi" lozenge, or a concentrate powder.

Invention and retail success

The formula for Airborne was developed by Victoria Knight-McDowell, an elementary school teacher from Carmel, California. In the early 1990s, she began brewing herbal and vitamin cocktails (in hopes of warding off the germs spread by her second-grade students), "experimenting with vitamins C, E, and A, as well as zinc, selenium, and herbs including forsythia, ginger, isatis root, and echinacea." When she felt she had developed an effective preventive formula against colds, Knight-McDowell began selling it in tablet form to local drug stores. Knight-McDowell contracted with cartoonist Lloyd Dangle to create Airborne's brand and packaging. Over the next few years, largely by word-of-mouth, the formula's popularity grew. In 1997 specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's ordered 300 cases of Airborne tablets to sell, and by 1999 other larger chains, such as Wal-Mart and Rite Aid, began stocking Airborne. It has been ranked the #1 cold and flu remedy at Drugstore.com and is considered one of the fastest selling health products in retail history.

Testing, research, and controversy

Although it is recommended that Airborne be taken "at the first sign of a cold symptom, or before entering crowded environments, like airplanes and offices," the package explicitly states that Airborne is "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." This is because Airborne has not undergone any testing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Knight-McDowell Labs would be violating FDA regulations on Structure/Function claims were they to state on the packaging that it cured or prevented any disease.

Effectiveness studies

Scientific studies supporting Airborne's effectiveness are few in number. The study often referenced in favor of Airborne was sponsored by the Knight-McDowell Labs, manufacturers of Airborne. "GNG Pharmaceutical Services Inc.", claims to have conducted this study with 120 people, and reported that 47% of Airborne recipients showed little or no cold or flu symptoms, whereas only 23% of the recipients of a placebo pill showed equal results. However, in February of 2006, ABC News discovered that GNG Pharmaceutical Services has no official clinic, scientists, or even doctors. In fact the company comprises only two men, who started the company just to perform this study. Because of the bad publicity that this controversy has brought forth, Knight-McDowell Labs has removed all references to the study from their packaging and web site.

Read more at Wikipedia.org