Rite Aid settles Germ Defense case
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Rite Aid Corp. agrees to pay $50,000 to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it misled consumers by advertising the Germ Defense supplement could treat and prevent colds and flu. Rite Aid compared Germ Defense, manufactured for the chain by Improvita Health Products, to Airborne Health Inc.'s Airborne, according to FTC's complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Airborne Health faced similar FTC charges and agreed to pay up to $30 million in consumer redress for misleading advertising (1"The Tan Sheet" Aug. 18, 2008). FTC is currently litigating a related complaint against Cleveland-based Improvita in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio