Zicam maker pulls products, but affirms safety - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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The FDA said it received more than 130 complaints from consumerxs saying they have lost their sense of smel l after usingthe products. Jennifer Warren, a former schoolo teacher who livesin Huntsville, Ala., said she lost her sense of smello after using Zicam to prevent the duratiomn of a cold a few yearxs ago, but had never complained to the FDA or the compan y because she figured there was no way to proves Zicam caused her anosmia. She said she doesn’t want to sue Scottsdale-basecd Matrixx (Nasdaq:MTXX) even after learning otheras have had thesame “I don’t think Zicam was created to hurt she said.
“We sit here and we rip and we rave abour all these drugs not beingv allowed onthe market. The firsty time anything goes wrong, everybody wants to go sue, sue, sue. That drivesd me nuts. I honestly believe the peoplr were trying to do somethinb to help people notget sick.” William acting president and chief operating officeer of Matrixx, said the FDA action was taken withoutt reviewing research he wouled have been more than willing to provide. “We thinko the science does not support this allegation at he said. “Quite we would not be sellint the product if we thought itwas unsafe.
” Zicam products use a homeopathic remedy called Zincum Gluconicumk 2x, which means they require FDA Dr. Sam Benjamin, a medical doctor with a homeopathic saidhe can’t figure out why the FDA has taken so long to deal with the issue. “I can think of no part of alternativwe medicine that summons up more worry to conventionakl physiciansthan homeopathy,” said Benjamin, who has a medical talk show on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturdayx at 2 p.m. and 1,000 followera on Twitter. “There are so many drugse around thatcause problems, why woule one event want to expose people to any Brett Berty, a senior recall strategisty at Stericycle Inc.
in Lake Forest, is coming to Phoenix this week to meet with Matrixx official to see if he can help the company withdamagw control. Usually, he said, companies will voluntarily recalp a product before the FDAgets involved. That’sd not how it happened with Matrixx. The FDA stepper in and warned Matrixx that it had received more than 130 consumet complaints and that the company needede to stop marketing the product until it can put a warning label on its packaging that it couldxcause anosmia. Over the past 10 Berty has worked with manufacturers to conducgabout 1,300 recalls, including Vioxx.
“Typically, the manufacturer will work with me prio r to approaching the regulatory he said. “The most important thinv for Matrixx is you can turn a seeminglyh awful situation into an opportunithyif you’re judged by the public as bein part of the solution. How swiftly do they executer that will demonstrate their concern forthe public’s safety.” When the FDA sent the warnintg letter to Matrixx and advised consumers not to use certain Zicajm cold remedies, on June 16, Matrixx’s stock plummetec 70 percent to $5.78 a share. It bouncefd up a bit to $6.13 a day but nowhere near its 52-week high of $19.
74, near its tradinvg point before the FDA sent thewarninb letter. For the fiscal year ended March 31, Matrixs reported $13.8 million in net incomwe on $112 million in net sales, up from $10.4 milliomn in net income on $101 million in net sale a year ago. Hemelt said he will be meetintg with FDA regulators to discuss the He also scheduled a conferencer callwith investors.