Airborne refunds require old sale receipts

WASHINGTON, March 5 (UPI) -- Customers who bought Airborne in order to get rid of colds as far back as 2001 will be able to get their money back, provided they saved the sale receipts.

That's the catch in a $23 million settlement of a lawsuit that charged Airborne wasn't the long-coveted cure for the common cold but rather a vitamin pill.

"There's no credible evidence that what's in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment," David Schardt, a nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said in a written statement this week. "Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that's been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed."

The New York Post noted Wednesday that while consumers can file for a refund for Airborne purchased between May 2001 and last November, they will have to have the receipt.

The CSPI also noted that Airborne had relatively high dosages of vitamin A. Airborne noted on its Web site Wednesday that worried consumers could call the company to discuss vitamin A with a "medical professional."