8 July 2010 – Mars-owned Wrigley has settled a class action lawsuit alleging that is misleadingly advertised its Eclipse gum as having ‘natural germ killing’ power.

The company will pay up to $7 million with consumers able to claim $10 each if they could qualify purchases of the magnolia bark extract-fortified gum or mints.

Wrigley has also agreed to amend the claims, which apparently were based on a 2007 study, commissioned by Wrigley, showing that extracts from the bark of a magnolia plant kill 20 times more dental bacteria in half an hour than a placebo mint.

The products will no longer feature magnolia bark extract as an ingredient. These conditions apply for three years after the settlement.

In a statement Wrigley vice president and general manager of US Gum and Mints, Paul Chibe, said the company stood by its science, denied any wrongdoing but settled to, “prevent further distraction to its business”.