Zicam Settlement

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April 21st, 2006

"Makers of Zicam Cold Remedy Agreed to Pay $12M Settlement"

The manufacturer of the popular over-the-counter cold remedy Zicam will pay $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits filed against the company by consumers who allege the nasal gel impaired their ability to smell or taste only after one use.

Matrixx vehemently denied the lawsuit claims and said that no study has found evidence the spray is linked to the loss of smell, also known as anosmia.

However, the plaintiffs in the lawsuits allege that Zicam damaged fragile smell tissue as a result of the drug’s pump bottles, which drive the thick gel into the top of the nose with great force.

The drug manufacturer says that the packaging instructions clearly say the spray gel should be administered in the lower part of the nose, and does not go high enough to cause damage.

Zinc, the main ingredient of the nasal spray, is used to impair smell in laboratory animals and may be lethal to human’s sense of smell.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has admitted that it has received reports of adverse side effects involving Zicam, but won’t release the number of reports. Zicam is not regulated by the FDA because it contains zinc, which is typically thought of as a safe, homeopathic remedy.

Under the settlement terms, 95 percent of eligible plaintiffs must accept the payment. The amount of individual economic recovery each plaintiff will receive is dependant on medical costs. The plaintiffs who refuse the settlement may pursue their own lawsuits.