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drug_recall cold-eezeAbout 2.5 million Americans are believed to suffer from a partial or complete loss of smell, according to the National Institutes of Health. The loss of smell and Cold-Eeze reports have led to lawsuits and the product’s short stay on pharmacy shelves. Cold-Eeze is a popular homeopathic cold remedy sold over the counter across the country, and manufacturer Quigley Corporation used to make a nose spray containing zinc gluconate before it pulled it from the market in September 2004 after just over a year, citing disappointing sales.
When the product was discontinued, zinc nasal sprays were under increasing scrutiny amid the filing of lawsuits and doctor’s case reports that the loss of smell and Cold-Eeze had been suffered. The medical term for the loss of smell is called anosmia. Similar to complaints and lawsuits filed against another popular zinc nose spray Zicam, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is looking into complaints related to the zinc nasal sprays.
Zicam maker Matrixx Initiatives has aggressively defended its products, dismissing reports linking them to the loss of smell, calling it “unfounded and misleading.” Although there is no clear evidence dismissing the loss of smell and Cold-Eeze, there is also no clear evidence supporting it because there have been no rigorous studies on whether zinc nasal spray users are at a higher risk for losing their sense of smell. Quigley claimed their product was safe, pointing to a “double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate product safety.”
Still, the loss of smell and Cold-Eeze was a complaint made by some consumers and seen by doctors involving just the one Cold-Eeze Cold Remedy item – the nasal spray. The company said the study determined the use of zinc gluconate did not cause the loss of smell, and it was safe when taken as directed, referring to one of its consulting medical specialists involved in the Cold-Eeze study for its zinc nasal spray. When asked about the loss of smell and Cold-Eeze, Dr. Carl Whitley, the nose and throat specialist involved in the study, said the smell test employed in the study was “crude” considering it was not the purpose of the study or else “they would have, no doubt, used a more precise measure of smell.”
In addition to lacking science indicating a more definitive risk of the loss of smell and Cold-Eeze, science is also lacking in proven treatments to restore smell. Some studies show zinc can shorten the duration of colds by a few days, but other studies show zinc has no real effect. In regards to the effectiveness of nasal zinc products, some studies show they shorten the common cold while others show it has no effect. There are some scientists that believe a certain amount of zinc can have an astringent effect and damage cells in the nasal cavity controlling smell.
While the FDA continues to evaluate complaints related to loss of smell and Cold-Eeze, as well as with other zinc nasal sprays, some doctors are advising patients to avoid the use of the products until more conclusive evidence has been determined. Even though there are many potential causes of loss of smell, for consumers that allege their loss of smell and Cold-Eeze use is more than coincidence, some experts think the potential risk may not be worthwhile of the possibility of cutting a cold down by a couple days.