The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has said that it has received over 130 reports from consumers who have lost their sense of smell after using certain herbal supplement Zicam Cold Remedy products and is now warning all consumers to stop using them.

FDA warning on Zicam Cold Remedy products

The FDA has warned consumers that they should discontinue using the follwoing Zicam Cold Remedy products:

• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
• Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)

after receiving over 130 reports of loss of sense of smell associated with the use of these three products. In many of those cases, consumers said that they experienced a loss of the sense of smell with the first dose; others reported a loss of the sense of smell after multiple uses of the products.

Although Zicam products are considered herbal supplements and are not regulated by the FDA, the Administration has told the manufacturer of Zicam products, Matrixx Initiatives, that these products can no longer be marketed without FDA approval.

Doctor Janet Woodcock, the Director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has said that the Administration is “[C]oncerned that consumers may unknowingly use a product that could cause serious harm, and therefore we are advising them not to use these products for any reason.” The FDA is advising consumers who have experienced a loss of smell to contact their healthcare professional.

Product liability cases filed

Although Matrixx Initiatives disagrees with the FDA, it has stated that several product liability lawsuits have been filed against it over the loss of smell. Legal experts believe that additional lawsuits will be filed against the company now that the FDA has told consumers to stop using these products.

Additional information

• To view the FDA's warning, click here
• To view Matrixx Initiative's response to the FDA's letter, click here
• To contact an experienced products liability attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options, click here