The plot seems to thicken:
Matrixx release:
Matrixx Initiatives Reaffirms Safety of Intranasal Zicam(R) Cold Remedy
Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., the manufacturer of Zicam(R) Cold Remedy, responds to the Dow Jones 'In The Money report: FDA Looks Into Complaints About Zicam,' by Carol S. Remond, alleging that the FDA is investigating consumer complaints
regarding intranasal zinc gluconate-induced loss of smell.
PHOENIX, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., the manufacturer of Zicam(R) Cold Remedy, is not aware of an FDA inquiry into the safety of our intranasal zinc-gluconate products, as alleged by Carol S. Remond's column Dow Jones "In The Money report: FDA Looks Into Complaints About Zicam."
All Zicam products are manufactured and marketed according to FDA guidelines for homeopathic medicine. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our customers and the distribution of factual information about our products. Matrixx believes statements alleging that intranasal Zicam products cause anosmia (loss of smell) are completely unfounded and misleading.
In no clinical trial of intranasal zinc gluconate gel products has there been a single report of lost or diminished olfactory function (sense of smell). Rather, the safety and efficacy of zinc gluconate for the treatment of symptoms related to the common cold have been well established in two double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials. In fact, in neither study were there any reports of anosmia related to the use of this compound. The overall incidence of adverse events associated with zinc gluconate was extremely low, with no statistically significant difference between the adverse event rates for the treated and placebo subsets.
A multitude of environmental and biologic influences are known to affect the sense of smell. Chief among them is the common cold. As a result, the population most likely to use cold remedy products is already at increased risk of developing anosmia. Other common causes of olfactory dysfunction include age, nasal and sinus infections, head trauma, anatomical obstructions, and environmental irritants.
The circumstances surrounding the development of Ms. Remond's column are extremely suspect. The article appeared online in public financial message boards almost immediately following its availability through the Dow Jones "In The Money" subscription-only service. At least one of these message board postings was made by a registered username frequently used by Floyd Schneider, a defendant currently being sued for defamation by Matrixx Initiatives. From at least August 2001 to the present, Schneider has posted false and defamatory statements about Matrixx on various Internet message boards using a variety of anonymous aliases. It has come to our attention that Schneider has also attempted to interfere with Matrixx' business by contacting our retail customers.
Ms. Remond's article appears on today's Dow Jones Newswire -- the very day that Matrixx Initiatives is deposing Schneider. We believe that the timing of this article was manipulated by Schneider to interrupt the deposition process. We know that Ms. Remond and Schneider were in close communication during the development of Ms. Remond's article and even discussed the disclosure statement detailing the basis for our suit against Schneider, which has not yet been made public. Therefore, it is particularly troubling that Ms. Remond neglected to mention the defamation action or that Schneider was one of her chief sources of information. We consider her failure to mention these facts to be a significant omission in fair and balanced reporting.
Matrixx Initiatives would like to underscore that we intend to vigorously pursue those individuals involved in any effort to improperly discredit the company and its products. Furthermore, we strongly urge Dow Jones to open its own investigation to determine whether Dow Jones' credibility was undermined by the use of copyrighted material in an attempt to do further harm to the value and reputation of Matrixx Initiatives and its products.
SOURCE Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
CO: Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
ST: Arizona
SU:
prnewswire.com
02/02/2004 15:16 EST |
