Zicam Warning for Consumer Safety
You may have heard the news reports about the popular cold remedy, Zicam.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is ordering the maker of Zicam to cease marketing the little bottle with the big nasal spray after continuing reports that some users have lost their sense of smell.
Here are the three over-the-counter Zicam products affected:
- Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
- Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
- Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)
The FDA has reportedly received more than 130 reports of the loss of smell, also known as anosmia, which can be a big problem if you cannot smell spoiled food or a fire.
Perhaps most serious is that the FDA believes that Zicam maker, Matrixx, may have received more than 800 complaints directly to the company regarding product liability injury, which by a 2007 FDA regulation are supposed to be turned over to the FDA.
Matrixx Initiatives stand behind the science of its products and its belief that there is no causal link between its intranasal gel products and anosmia. The company says the FDA action is unwarranted. They plan to cooperate with the FDA to review safety data.
But for fans of Zicam, don’t worry. The cold tablets made by Zicam also deliver the homeopathic ingredient, zinc gluconate, a naturally occurring mineral. The only difference is in the delivery. Directly into the nasal passages causes the working ingredients to be absorbed immediately.
And from a legal standpoint, the package instructions are very precise that the bottle nose should be placed barely inside the nostril and pointed to the outside of the nasal passage.
The company also boasts that since Zicam was first introduced a decade ago, more than 35 million units and over 1 billion doses have been sold.
Consider this to be part of the new revised Food and Drug Administration which promises to be aggressive in enforcement action.
Homeopathic ingredients are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and therefore not regulated.
While it would be a shame to remove non- drug alternatives from the marketplace, if a manufacturer is not sending complaints to the FDA as required or just paying off lawsuits, as they did in 2006 when Matrixx paid $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits brought by consumers who claim to have lost their sense of smell, they are not being responsible corporate citizens.
When Matrixx says it was a “complete surprise” to get a warning letter from the FDA last Tuesday, does anyone believe them?
If you have experienced any dangerous side effects as a result of using Zicam, contact the experienced Florida Zicam recall attorneys at Farah and Farah. Manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter treatments/medication have the responsibility to provide safe products for consumers. Don’t let your rights be taken advantage of. Call 1-800-533-3555 today.
