One of two major drug companies offering a popular nasal zinc spray to combat the common cold has decided to discontinue making the product after a 7NEWS investigation found people claiming that they lost their sense of smell after using the product.
However, the drug company's decision hasn't stopped the Federal Drug Administration's investigation, said Investigator John Ferrugia, who broke the story almost a year ago.
Page Davison was a chef and is one of hundreds of consumers who say they lost their ability to smell after using a nasal spray containing zinc gluconate.
"I gave myself a squirt of it and the burning was unbelievable," said Davison.
Davison claims she lost her livelihood and her passion for cooking because of Cold-Eeze intranasal spray made by Quigley Corp. She and several other consumers have sued Quigley, but the company claims the suits are without merit.
Hundreds of other users with the same complaint have sued the maker of Zicam, another nasal spray with zinc gluconate.
After 7NEWS' initial reports, the FDA began investigating the complaints. In the midst of that investigation, the makers of Cold-Eeze quietly filed a financial notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission "to discontinue the Cold-Eeze cold remedy nasal spray product ... because the product has not developed into a viable entry in the nasal spray cold remedy category."
The company claims the withdrawal is solely a financial decision in that it "has not met either the company's sales expectation or its return on investment."
Meanwhile, at the University of Colorado Taste and Smell Clinic, Dr. Bruce Jafek continues to hear from patients who claim zinc gluconate has robbed them of their sense of smell.
"Approximately one (person) a week or one every other week contacts us with regard to evaluation or advice or who to see," Jafek said.
The maker of Zicam disputes such complaints, claiming its panel of experts has found its spray can't even reach the nasal tissue where it could cause loss of smell.
"The spray itself has a long reach, it will go clear to the ceiling, whereas the smell tissue in the nose is four inches in or a little bit less. So, certainly, in most people's noses this will reach the smell tissue very easily," Jafek said.
That may be, in part, the reason the maker of Zicam is working to modify the spray pump applicator, Ferrugia said. And there are other variables.
"If you have septal deviation, if you have congestion, if you have various anatomic abnormalities, that may influence where the spray goes," Jafek said.
Quigley Corp. declined to be interviewed about whether the FDA investigation and pending lawsuits were a factor in the company discontinuing the nasal spray.
Meanwhile, the makers of Zicam are scheduled to publish the findings of a company-hired panel of experts early next year.
The loss of the sense of smell has affected only a small percentage of users of both Zicam and Cold-Eeze zinc nasal spray. Despite the lawsuits, both companies claim their products are safe.
If you have had problems with the nasal zinc products, the FDA wants to hear from you. You can call toll-free (888) INFO-FDA or (888) 463-6332 or fill out a special form on the
FDA's Web site.
If you have a tip for the investigators, call (303) 832-TIPS or e-mail us at
Newstips@TheDenverChannel. com.
Additional Resources: Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Company Stops Production Of Nasal Zinc Spray
Discuss This Story With Others Cold-Eeze's Web site Zicam's Web site University of Colorado: Department Of Otolaryngology University Of Connecticut Taste and Smell Center 
