CVS Avoids Class Status in Hand Sanitizer Germ-Killing Suit

CVS Pharmacy Inc. fended off class status in a suit challenging representations about the germ-killing abilities of hand sanitizer, as a federal court in California said individual inquiries about whether consumers suffered any damage would dominate the litigation.

Californian Joseph Mier purchased CVS’s Advanced Formula Hand Sanitizer in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. He alleged the product’s front label saying it “kills 99.99% of germs” misleads consumers because there’s no scientific evidence showing that alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill 99.99% of all germs.

In April 2021, the US District Court for the Central District of California certified a class ...