FDA warns consumers to discard Zicam products

In an unusual move earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers that Zicam Cold Remedy products have been associated with long lasting or even permanent loss of smell. FDA recommends that consumers stop using these products and that they throw away any that might still be in their homes. The affected products include Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (the last one is a previously discontinued product). The products had been sold by Matrixx Initiatives to reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms; however, they have never been shown to be effective. These products were formulated and sold for intranasal use and may have contained zinc, which is potentially toxic to the nasal membranes. The FDA emphasized that their advisory does not concern oral zinc tablets and lozenges that are taken by mouth. Ironically, oral zinc products have long been used as attempted treatments for anosmia, the medical term for loss of smell. But it is widely understood in the medical community that intranasal zinc administration can cause a variety of problems with the sense of smell, up to and including its complete loss. What’s unclear about the Zicam products is how much, if any, zinc they actually contain. That’s because they are marketed as homeopathic remedies, which typically contain little to no actual active ingredient. As I’ve explained in detail in my earlier blog entitl...
Source: Dr. Z's Medical Report - Category: Physicians With Health Advice Authors: Tags: Healthy Living Airborne anosmia cold conumers discard Dr Z drug Ed Zimney effective Everyday Health FDA flu health blog homeopathy loss of smell matrixx initiatives medical news new drug application products safety Source Type: blogs