FDA Warns Consumers To Stop Using Intranasal Zicam Products
In past posts, this blog warned consumers of potentially dangerous ingredients that may be harmful to you or your child’s health. Recent events have shown the warnings to be justified.
The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has warned consumers to stop using zinc-based intranasal Zicam cold products and discard them or return them to stores because they have been associated with anosmia -- long lasting or permanent loss of smell. The loss of smell can be "life-threatening," said Deborah M. Autor, director of the office of compliance for the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, because people with impaired smell cannot detect leaking gas or smoke and cannot tell if food has spoiled before they eat it. Indeed, the FDA has received more than 130 reports of anosmia associated with use of Zicam products from doctors and consumers. The loss of sense of smell may be long-lasting or even permanent in some people.
The affected Zicam branded products, manufactured by Matrixx Initiatives, are Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product that consumers may still have in their homes).
Moreover, Zicam products are marketed as cold remedies used purportedly to reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms. According to the FDA, however, these products have not seen to be effective in the reduction of the duration and severity of cold symptoms. As such, consumers may have been deceived into purchasing a useless product.
If you have purchased a Zicam product, or have been injured as a result of using a Zicam product, please contact us to discuss your legal options.