Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer - Zicam

AP: Matrixx Stocks Fall After Zicam Lawsuits Announced

Paul Kiesel — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:49:37 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Matrixx Initiatives Inc. fell Monday after the company disclosed several class action lawsuits related to its withdrawn cold treatment Zicam.

After the markets closed on Thursday ahead of the long holiday weekend, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company said it is aware of six class action lawsuits connected to Zicam. The company also has disclosed a personal injury lawsuit involving 117 plaintiffs.

The Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to stop using Zicam products in mid-June, because the zinc in Zicam swabs and gel may damage the sense of smell. Matrixx started a voluntary recall on June 24.

"The company intends to vigorously defend each of the recently filed lawsuits," Matrixx said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It said it expects more lawsuits.

Matrixx disclosed lawsuits involving residents of Arizona, Illinois, California, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. It said the California suit "alleges, among other things, that the company concealed or omitted material information regarding the safety of the nasal gel products."

In afternoon trading, Matrixx shares fell 73 cents, or 11.3 percent, to $5.75. The stock has ranged from $4.39 to $19.74 over the past year.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Kiesel

Homepathic False Promises: Zicam

Paul Kiesel — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:25:50 GMT

From The Atlantic:

I missed commenting on this earlier, but many readers may have noticed the recent scandal caused by Zicam. This is a cold remedy which was sold as a homeopathic medicine, but its makers committed the unforgivable sin of actually having something in its formula besides well-shaken distilled water.

A lot of people are convinced that zinc is good for colds - I'm agnostic, having not seen much convincing evidence - so if that's the case, why not snort zinc up your nose? That, at any rate, seems to be the condensed version of the Zicam pitch, although I don't believe that they used that exact wording in their ads. (A gift for advertising copy might not be one of my more robust talents. . .) At any rate, snorting zinc salts has actually been known, for some time now, to injure the sense of smell in some people. So it's proved with Zicam, with several hundred victims.

The moral? If you're going to sell homeopathic medicine - and boy, is it a lucrative business - make sure that you don't put anything in there except sterile water. That'll cut down on your expenses, too, since most ingredients cost more than water, anyway. Stick with that strategy, and you can be absolutely sure that nothing bad will happen to your customers. Nothing good will happen to them either, but they won't know that. When their cold/headache/whatever goes away of its own accord, they'll ascribe it to your miracle product. Sit back and profit! Be sure to thank Senator Hatch while you count your money, though - it's only proper.

Click here for another article on the adverse effects of Zicam.

Also, Kiesel Boucher Larson has spoken with several sufferers of Zicam, including a woman who, after using the product once, lost her sense of smell (possibly permanently) and whose sense of taste has been partially damaged

If anyone else has experienced similar or worse problems due to taking Zicam, consult an attorney and/or an ear, nose and throat specialist, who can recommend what appropriate steps one can take to remedy their situation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Kiesel

NYT: The Eyeshade Smelled Trouble

Paul Kiesel — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:41:01 GMT

From The New York Times:

WHEN it comes to corporate America, critics and skeptics are about as welcome as skunks at a pool party. And when companies try to silence dissenters, shareholders are often imperiled.

This truism is on full display in the mess at Matrixx Initiatives, a Scottsdale, Ariz., maker of over-the-counter health care products. Best-known for its homeopathic Zicam Cold Remedy offerings, Matrixx hit a rough patch on June 16, when the Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to stop using two of its popular remedies.

The F.D.A. said that it had received more than 130 reports of anosmia — or loss of smell — from users of the products and that more than 800 such reports had been delivered to Matrixx. The agency told Matrixx that Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel and the same treatment in swab form could no longer be marketed without government approval.

Matrixx maintains that the products, which contain zinc, are safe. But it immediately withdrew them from the market. Bill Hemelt, Matrixx’s president, said company officials would meet with the F.D.A. to try to persuade it to reverse its decision.

Click here for the rest of the article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Kiesel