Matrixx Initiatives Refutes Zicam Allegations

Matrixx Initiatives Refutes Zicam Allegations

PHOENIXMatrixx Initiatives Inc., manufacturers of Zicam ColdRemedy, issued a statement Feb. 2 that it was unaware of the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) investigating consumer complaints regarding its productleading to a loss of smell. The alleged complaints were first brought toattention in the Dow Jones article, In the Money Report: FDA Looks intoComplaints About Zicam, by Carol S. Remond.

The company reported the statements made in the article are completelyunfounded and misleading. In no clinical trial of intranasal zinc gluconategel products has there been a single report of lost or diminished olfactoryfunction, the company stated in a release. A multitude of environmentaland biologic influences are known to affect the sense of smell. Chief among themis the common cold. As a result, the population most likely to use cold remedyproducts is already at increased risk of developing [loss of smell].

In addition, Matrixx (www.zicam.com)reported that the article may have been instigated by an individual the companyis currently suing for defamation. It is particularly troubling that Ms.Remond neglected to mention the defamation action or that [the individual] wasone of her chief sources of information, Matrixx stated. We consider herfailure to mention these facts to be a significant omission in fair and balancedreporting.