Ricola Shakes Off Consumer Suit Over Echinacea Throat Drops

Ricola USA Inc. exited, for now, a proposed class suit alleging it deceptively markets “Green Tea with Echinacea” throat drops.

Federal law governing over-the-counter medications expressly preempts Lonise Singo’s claims under state consumer protection laws, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said Thursday.

Singo alleged that the name “Green Tea with Echinacea,” together with the label’s prominent pink echinacea flower and green lozenge, fool consumers into thinking that the drops’ therapeutic benefits come from botanicals even though the only active ingredient is menthol.

The core of her claims is that Ricola’s representations are false and ...