Haleon Unit Exits Suit Over Abreva Cold Sore Healing Claims

“In its ordinary use, the term ‘can’ denotes possibility, not probability,” a federal judge said in tossing a false-ad suit about how quickly Abreva gets rid of cold sores.

Lead plaintiff Tawneya Houser said GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Holdings (US) LLC’s statement that Abreva “can get rid of [a] cold sore in 2½ days” misleads consumers into thinking the product typically heals cold sores in that time.

• The representation “does not insinuate that Abreva typically heals a cold sore in as few as 2.5 days,” Judge Jon S. Tigar of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said ...