Pine Bros. throat drops, an old Philly product reborn

For some Philly brands, it seems everything old is new again.

The owners of Franklin Fountain in Old City have reopened Shane Confectionery with the original fixtures and candy recipes. Goldenberg's Peanut Chews candy is back. Now, Pine Bros. throat drops are the latest addition to the Philly brand revival. They're the sweet and "softish" lozenges recently relaunched with the original recipes and a bizarre rockabilly-themed ad campaign by 3 Sisters Home Products.

Behind the reboot are Victoria Knight-McDowell, who created the immensely popular Airborne immune support formula, and her New Jersey-born husband, Thomas John "Rider" McDowell.

Rider McDowell has fond childhood memories of the original drops, which were born in Philadelphia in 1870 when German immigrant candy maker J. Herman Pine combined gum acacia with glycerin to make "Pine Brothers Glycerine Tablets." "They tasted and felt like candy - at least I ate them that way - but they really soothed your throat," McDowell said recently from the home office in California that he and his wife share.

The McDowells' Airborne success story was enchanting: Victoria, a former schoolteacher, developed Airborne after getting sick from classroom germs. Rider sold a screenplay, and the two invested the money in launching the product, which was advertised as a cure for colds.

The fairy tale came to an end in March 2006, when a class-action lawsuit was brought against the company, claiming false advertising. Airborne had to change its advertising claim from "cold-curing" to "immune system-boosting" and paid about $30 million to settle the lawsuit.

Victoria Knight-McDowell calls the Airborne saga a baptism by fire. It's still a sensitive matter. "Class-action lawsuits are the scourge of American business, whether you're Airborne, Coca-Cola, or Procter & Gamble," she said. The company never admitted to any wrongdoing, and by the time a settlement was reached, the couple had sold Airborne to a private-equity company.

Now that the McDowells are out in the market with a new product for colds, the scars are visible. The new Pine Bros. drops - in Natural Honey, Citrus-Lemon, Licorice, and Wild Cherry - are marketed as "soothing," a claim that is so vague it's virtually indisputable. Any number of free things can soothe a cold: a hug, a warm blanket, a nap.