US cold remedy makers sued over fake clinical trials

March 5th, 2008

A warning to companies who sell their product on worthless clinical trials:

The company also said it had scientific evidence to support its marketing pitch. But the lawsuit that resulted in the settlement this week was sparked by an ABC News report last year saying that the clinical trial the company offered as proof of the product’s effectiveness was highly dubious:

Airborne said that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with “care and professionalism” by a company specializing in clinical trial management, GNG Pharmaceutical Services.
GNG is actually a two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study. There was no clinic, no scientists and no doctors. The man who ran things said he had lots of clinical trial experience. He added that he had a degree from Indiana University, but the school says he never graduated.

Read the full story at the New York Times

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