CLEVELAND, Ohio — Akron-based GOJO Industries faces several lawsuits — with the most recent filed Friday — over its marketing of the effectiveness of the Purell hand sanitizer products.

GOJO marketed its products as a way to prevent infection, the flu and the common cold. Its products are now in high demand and scarce as Americans scooped up record amounts in response to the coronavirus.

However, the company’s labeling and marketing, including that its Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer “kills 99.9% of illness-causing germs,” is misleading and constitutes false advertising, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in northern Ohio. The suit is filed on behalf of consumers in California, Michigan, Massachusetts and Oregon and is one of six filed across the country against the company.

The lawsuits come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter in January warning the company from making unproven claims that its hand sanitizers combat specific diseases. The FDA took issue with claims that the products reduce or prevent diseases like Ebola, MSRA, norovirus and influenza viruses.

“… FDA is currently not aware of any adequate and well-controlled studies demonstrating that killing or decreasing the number of bacteria or viruses on the skin by a certain magnitude produces a corresponding clinical reduction in infection or disease caused by such bacteria or virus,” the warning letter said.

The company said at the time that it has started to update its website and other online content as directed by the FDA.

The newest lawsuit, which says the company violated consumer protection and other laws, seeks class-action status on behalf of all consumers who bought Purell and more than $5 million in damages.

“Plaintiffs purchased the Products,” the newest suit states. “They all relied upon the product’s packaging and marketing materials and Defendant’s claims regarding the Products’ effectiveness against infection and disease, as well as Products’ higher effectiveness and/or concentration compared to competing brands.”

GOJO President and CEO Carey Jaros said in a statement in February, not long after the first lawsuits, that “we believe these lawsuits are without merit and will not distract GOJO from our Purpose of Saving Lives and Making Life Better Through Well-Being Solutions.

“We will vigorously defend GOJO and continue to work tirelessly to promote our Company’s Purpose. We stand 100% behind our products,” Jaros said in the statement. “Because of the pending legal action, we cannot comment further at this time.”