What is Cold-Eeze?

The Quigley Corporation offers a line of Cold-Eeze Cold Remedy products, claiming the homeopathic cold remedy is the only family of products developed specifically for colds that contain zinc gluconate glycine, "a formula consistently proven to be effective in helping to reduce the duration of the common cold by up to 42 percent." The popularity of homeopathic products in recent years has skyrocketed, which worries some experts.

Opposed to over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications, herbal products and homeopathic remedies are regulated separately. The law allows the sales of Cold-Eeze and other homeopathic remedies unless the FDA proves them harmful. Because Cold-Eeze can be found on shelves among over-the-counter drugs, many consumers are unaware of the differences between products. Consumers trying to determine what type of data shows the effectiveness of various products are oftentimes confused with what types of studies have been done.

When Quigley announced it was offering a nasal zinc spray in 2003, the company was one of two major drug companies to offer the product. Just a year later, the company said it was discontinuing the product. Hundreds of consumers said they lost their ability to smell after using nasal spray containing zinc gluconate, but Quigley claimed it was not discontinuing the Cold-Eeze nasal spray because of the complaint reports but because the company claimed "the product has not developed into a viable entry in the nasal spray cold remedy category," saying it was solely a financial decision.

Despite the removal of the Cold-Eeze product from the shelves, the FDA investigation into the complaints that had started prior to Quigley's quiet withdrawal continued. The absence of any rigorous studies on whether zinc nasal sprays can cause anosmia, the clinical term for the permanent loss of smell, is non-existent, though some doctors report seeing patients that are diagnosed with anosmia after using the products.

According to a University of Colorado Taste and Smell Clinic doctor, Bruce Jafek, when the Cold-Eeze product was discontinued he was being contacted by approximately one person every week to two weeks from patients claiming zinc gluconate caused their sense of smell to disappear. Some scientists believe that zinc, in certain quantities, can have an astringent effect that can damage cells in the nasal cavity that control the sense of smell. Studies showing the effectiveness of zinc gluconate in nasal sprays continues to be mixed, with some studies showing they shorten the common cold, while others show on effect.

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 2.5 million Americans are believes to suffer from a partial or complete loss of smell. There are no proven treatments to restore smell, and as a result, lawsuits have been filed against Cold-Eeze maker Quigley, as well as against Matrixx, the maker of Zicam nasal products, which continues to be a popular product. To shorten a cold by just a couple days, some doctors and consumers do not think the risk of losing their smell forever is worth it, while other consumers believe the possible risk is worth it.

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