Oakland, CA: A national class action lawsuit was filed on October 1, 2010 against Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Listerine Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash.
Since its introduction in 2009, Listerine Total Care has been heavily marketed across the nation as a 6-in-1 total solution for oral hygiene, with representations that it "fights unsightly plaque above the gum line" and that, as a drug, the Food and Drug Administration has approved it for this purpose. However, the lawsuit alleges that sodium fluoride, the only active ingredient in Listerine Total Care, has not been recognized by the FDA to fight plaque, a precursor to gum disease.
Johnson & Johnson advertises the total care product as a FDA-approved drug that fights gum disease. In fact, the FDA has gone so far as to direct Johnson & Johnson to stop making such false statements.
The lawsuit, entitled Britton v. Johnson & Johnson (USDC Case # C10-04450-TEH), seeks monetary damages and a court Order stopping further misleading advertising of the mouthwash.
