On June 16, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers and members of the healthcare community to discontinue the use of three Zicam Cold Remedy products. In the FDA's warning letter, they also warned the makers of Zicam to stop selling the defective products.

The FDA said consumers should stop buying Zicam cold remedy products that are inserted into the nose. And should throw out any in their medicine cabinet. The FDA told manufacturer Matrixx Initiatives that it needs to get FDA approval to continue selling the products. Zicam is considered a homeopathic remedy.

Zicam Cold Remedy® Citrus RapidMelts® Zicam is completely different® from most other cold remedies because it actually shortens colds versus just temporarily relieving symptoms. These quick-dissolve tablets, made with zinc, shorten colds when taken at the first sign.

Summary. Oral Zicam products claim to help with cold symptoms and shorten the length of a cold, but there's limited evidence about how safe and effective they are. The current nasal Zicam products do not use zinc because of the potential for serious side effects - instead, the nasal formulas are plant-based.

In June the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about some Zicam products based on having received over 130 reports of a decreased sense of smell, often after single use of one of these products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers to stop using three Zicam intranasal cold remedy products containing zinc after continuing reports that some users have lost their sense of smell -- a condition known as anosmia.

Zicam is completely different® from most other cold remedies because it actually shortens colds versus just temporarily relieving symptoms. These quick-dissolve tablets, made with zinc, shorten colds when taken at the first sign.

The FDA says consumers should stop using the products immediately. The agency has sent Matrixx Initiatives, which makes Zicam, a warning letter telling it the products can no longer be marketed without FDA approval.

Zinc may also reduce the severity of cold symptoms by acting as an astringent on the trigeminal nerve. A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials concluded that zinc was effective at reducing the duration and severity of common cold symptoms.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers to stop using three Zicam intranasal cold remedy products containing zinc after continuing reports that some users have lost their sense of smell -- a condition known as anosmia.

There is no guarantee that zinc will help you feel better faster. In some studies, zinc did nothing to shorten how long people with colds felt bad. In other studies, zinc may have shortened symptoms by a few days. But the side effects from taking zinc can be uncomfortable or serious in some cases.

Zicam is completely different® from most other cold remedies because it actually shortens colds versus just temporarily relieving symptoms. These quick-dissolve tablets, made with zinc, shorten colds when taken at the first sign.