Zinc Is Good for You, But Not For Your Nose

Phoenix, AZZicam smell loss in tandem with Zicam cold medicine that contains zinc is unfortunate in that it detracts from the various health benefits of zinc beyond its use as a nasal spray. There is little doubt however that Zicam side effects have resulted in loss of smell for some, often triggering a call to a Zicam lawyer.

Those concerns are going global and especially at this time of year with school starting. Colds will follow, and Zicam was a favorite because it contained zinc. And zinc is good for you. Zinc is a mineral that the body needs. In developing countries, according to the Irish Times, zinc was found to be effective in the treatment of diahhrea in children.

In fact, the potential impact of zinc was recognized in the 2008 Copenhagen Consensus Statement, in which internationally recognized economists, many of them Nobel Laureates, ranked the provision of zinc and vitamin A supplements for children as the most cost-effective way to promote human welfare.

But that's for diarrhea. A common cold is something else, and the application of zinc directly into the nasal cavity has proven to be a liability.

Hundreds of Complaints Over Zicam Loss of Smell

In June, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public health warning with regard to the use of three Zicam intranasal products that claimed to reduce the duration of a cold and relieve symptoms. The FDA however found no data supporting the effectiveness of Zicam intranasal products and on the other extreme received more than 130 complaints from consumers claiming they had lost their sense of smell after using Zicam.

When manufacturer Matrixx Initiatives Inc. refused an FDA request to withdraw the products from the market, the agency issued the public warning. The FDA also demanded that Matrixx turn over, according to law, some 800 complaints the manufacturer itself had received.

In spite of paying $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits involving anosmia, or loss of smell in 2006, Matrixx continues to stand by its product and insists that its zinc nasal products are not the cause of consumers losing their sense of smell.

Matrixx wound up withdrawing the products from the market after all, following receipt of the June 16th 2009 FDA warning letter.

In an unrelated turn of events the Board of Director for Matrixx Initiatives Inc. installed a new Chief Executive Officer August 28th. William J. Hemelt had been acting President, CEO and Chief Financial Officer since Halloween of last year.