Zicam
Zicam, Part II
I discussed Zicam yesterday, but my comments were probably just gloating over the FDA dealing with a unproven supplement in the same manner as it does with regular prescription and over-the-counter drugs. I want to go into some answers to questions I had in my own mind about this product.
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Homeopathic product recall
Today, the US FDA warned consumers to immediately stop using the product Zicam, a homeopathic remedy, because it may cause anosmia, the loss of sense of smell. The FDA has received over 130 adverse reports from consumers who believe that they suffered anosmia after using Zicam.
Zicam is marketed a Big Herba company, Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., and is sold as a remedy for relief of symptoms of colds, flu, and allergies (all with different causes). There is little or no evidence from respected peer reviewed journals that zinc gluconate, the active ingredient in Zicam, has any effect on the course, duration, or severity of common upper respiratory tract infections. The Cochrane Reviews state that, the “evidence of the effects of zinc lozenges for treating the common cold is inconclusive.” Infectious disease researchers from Stanford University have concluded that most positive studies of zinc gluconate are flawed in design and that the “therapeutic effectiveness of zinc lozenges has yet to be established.” A well designed double-blind study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases concludes that the “data do not support a role for intranasal zinc gluconate for prevention or treatment of the common cold.” Read More...
Zicam is marketed a Big Herba company, Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., and is sold as a remedy for relief of symptoms of colds, flu, and allergies (all with different causes). There is little or no evidence from respected peer reviewed journals that zinc gluconate, the active ingredient in Zicam, has any effect on the course, duration, or severity of common upper respiratory tract infections. The Cochrane Reviews state that, the “evidence of the effects of zinc lozenges for treating the common cold is inconclusive.” Infectious disease researchers from Stanford University have concluded that most positive studies of zinc gluconate are flawed in design and that the “therapeutic effectiveness of zinc lozenges has yet to be established.” A well designed double-blind study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases concludes that the “data do not support a role for intranasal zinc gluconate for prevention or treatment of the common cold.” Read More...