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Biotech / Medical : GUMM - Eliminate the Common Cold -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/8/2004 5:49:19 PM
From: Kevin Podsiadlik	Respond to of 5582

That's nice, dear. You go right on ahead and get to the bottom of this. Don't forget to send us a postcard when you get there. On the way, you might want to ponder how using the homeopathy loophole to circumvent the FDA approval process might not have been such a great idea after all.

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/11/2004 9:03:24 AM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5582

DAN, HOW ABOUT WE DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAIST MATRIXX'S OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS? I WILL START OFF. WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAD CALLED THE CALL CENTER? WHY DID THEIR COMPLAINTS ABOUT LOSING THEIR SENCE OF TASTE AND SMELL GO UNNOTICED? TheTruthseeker loves God and needs only His love. He can therefore live with all the detractors in the world.

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/11/2004 3:09:16 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE,A YELLOW SUBMARINE, YELLOW SUBMARINE And our friends are all on board Many more of them live next door And the band begins to play We all live in our yellow submarine, Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in our yellow submarine, Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/11/2004 3:32:31 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

LIST OF PRESENTING COMPANIES AS OF FEBRUARY 3, 2004: Company Name TICKER 24/7 Real Media TFSM Aastrom Biosciences Inc. ASTM Acacia Research Combimatrix Corp. CBMX Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AKC Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. LEND Ace Cash Express, Inc. AACE Aksys, Ltd. AKSY Alliance Gaming Corporation AGI Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. ALTI American Dental Partners, Inc. ADPI Amerco, Inc. UHAL Amerigon, Inc. ARGN Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AMLN Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp. ANH Applied Signal Technology, Inc. APSG AQuantive, Inc. AQNT Arotech, Corp. ARTX Ashworth, Inc. ASHW At Road, Inc. ARDI Authentidate Holding Corporation ADAT Autobytel, Inc. ABTL Avant Immunotherapeutics, Inc. AVAN Avid Technology, Inc. AVID Avigen, Inc. AVGN AXS One, Inc. AXO AXT, Inc. AXTI BakBone Software, Inc. BKBOF Bankrate, Inc. RATE Benihana National Corporation BNHNA Bentley Pharmaceuticals BNT Blue Martini Software, Inc. BLUE Bone Care International, Inc. BCII CancerVax Corporation CNVX Captiva Software Corporation CPTV Cardiac Science, Inc. DFIB CardioDynamics International Corp. CDIC Cash America International, Inc. PWN Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. CMRG Celadon Group, Inc. CLDN Cellegy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CLGY Cepheid CPHD Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. CHKR Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc. CHGO CKE Restaurants, Inc. CKR Collagenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CGPI Collectors Universe, Inc. CLCT Collegiate Pacific Corp. BOO Comarco, Inc. CMRO Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc. CCBI Concord Camera Corp. LENS Concur Technologies, Inc. CNQR Concurrent Computer Corp. CCUR Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. COR Craftmade International, Inc. CRFT Creative Host Services, Inc. CHST Cytrx, Corp. CYTR Depomed, Inc. DEPO Digital Generation Systems, Inc. DGIT Digital Video Systems, Inc. DVID Digitas, Inc. DTAS Diodes, Inc. DIOD Diomed Holdings, Inc. DIO Discovery Partners International DPII Ditech Communications DITC Diversified Security Solutions, Inc. DVS DJ Orthopedics, Inc. DJO Dot Hill Systems Corporation HILL Drexler Technology Corporation DRXR Duraswitch Industries, Inc. DSWT Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. DUSA East West Bancorp, Inc. EWBC Echelon Corporation ELON Eclipsys Corporation ECLP Electronic Clearing House, Inc. ECHO e-Merge Interactive, Inc. EMRG Encore Capital Group, Inc. ECPG Epicor Software Corporation EPIC eResearch Technology, Inc. ERES Evolving Systems, Inc. EVOL Exponent, Inc. EXPO EZCORP, Inc. EZPW First Cash Financial Services, Inc. FCFS First Virtual Communications, Inc. FVCX Focus Enhancements, Inc. FCSE Gevity HR, Inc. GVHR Group 1 Software, Inc. GSOF Hawthorne Financial Corporation HTHR HearUSA, Inc. EAR Herley Industries HRLY Hollywood Media, Inc. HOLL Huffy Corporation HUF Hybridon Inc. HBY Hypercom Corporation HYC Hythiam Inc. HTM I/O Magic Corp. IOMG ID Biomedical Corporation IDBE I-Flow, Corp. IFLO II-VI Incorporated IIVI Imax Corporation IMAX Immersion Corporation IMMR Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. IMH Indymac Bancorp, Inc. NDE Infocrossing, Inc. IFOX Innovo Group Inc INNO Inter Parfums, Inc. IPAR Interactive Intelligence, Inc. ININ International DisplayWorks Inc. IDWK InVision Technologies, Inc. INVN Irvine Sensors Corp. IRSN Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ISIS Island Pacific IPI Ista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ISTA Iteris Holdings Inc. ITRSA ITLA Capital Corp. ITLA Jaco Electronics, Inc. JACO Jos A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. JOSB K2, Inc. KTO Kana Software, Inc. KANA Keithley Instruments, Inc. KEI Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. KERX Kintera, Inc. KNTA Landec Corp. LNDC Lantronix, Inc. LTRX Laserscope, Inc. LSCP Leading Brands, Inc. LBIX Lexar Media, Inc. LEXR Lifecell Corporation LIFC Lifepoint, Inc. LFP Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc. LGND Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. LIOX Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. LGF LivePerson, Inc. LPSN Loudeye Corporation LOUD Mad Catz Interactive Inc. MCZ MAPICS, Inc. MAPX Mastec, Inc. MTZ MatchNet PLC MHNZF Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. MTXX Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MAXM MDC Partners, Inc. MDCA Meade Instruments, Corp. MEAD Measurement Specialties, Inc. MSS Medical Action Industries, Inc. MDCI Medis Technologies, Ltd. MDTL Mediware Information Systems, Inc. MEDW Merit Medical Systems, Inc. MMSI Middleby Corporation (The) MIDD Mikohn Gaming, Inc. MIKN Mobility Electronics, Inc. MOBE Modem Media, Inc. MMPT Mossimo, Inc. MOSS Motorcar Parts of America, Inc. MPAA.pk Multimedia Games, Inc. MGAM Nano-Proprietary Inc. NNPP Neogen Corporation NEOG Neoware Systems, Inc. NWRE New Century Financial Corp. NCEN New Frontier Media, Inc. NOOF Newport Corporation NEWP NIC, Inc. EGOV Novell, Inc. NOVL NTN Communications, Inc. NTN Omnicell, Inc. OMCL Optical Communication Products OCPI Orthovita, Inc. VITA OSI Systems, Inc. OSIS OXIGENE, Inc. OXGN PC Mall, Inc. MALL Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. PEET Pegasystems, Inc. PEGA Penford Corporation PENX Per-Se Technologies, Inc. PSTI Pervasive Software, Inc. PVSW Physiometrix, Inc. PHYX Pixelworks, Inc. PXLW Point.360 PTSX Poore Brothers, Inc. SNAK Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. PKSI Pro Dex, Inc. PDEX Provide Commerce, Inc. PRVD PTEK Holdings, Inc. PTEK QAD, Inc. QADI Quality Systems, Inc. QSII Qualstar Corporation QBAK Questcor Pharmaceutical, Inc. QSC Quovadx, Inc. QVDX Radyne Comstream, Inc. RADN SAFLINK Corp. SFLK Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. SLXP Scientific Learning Corporation SCIL Seachange International, Inc. SEAC Seracare Life Sciences, Inc. SRLS Shuffle Master, Inc. SHFL SM&A Corp. WINS Smith Micro Software SMSI Socket Communications, Inc. SCKT Somanetics Corporation SMTS Sonic Solutions, Inc. SNIC Sorrento Networks Corporation FIBR Spatialight, Inc. HDTV Specialized Health Products International SHPI Sportsman's Guide, Inc. (The) SGDE SPSS, Inc. SPSS Stamps.com STMP Sun Healthcare Group Inc. SUHG Superconductor Technologies, Inc. SCON Symmetricom, Inc. SYMM Tag-It Pacific, Inc. TAG Targeted Genetics, Corp. TGEN Taser International, Inc. TASR Tecnomatix Technologies, Ltd. TCNO TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. TSYS Three-Five Systems, Inc. TFS Transact Technologies, Inc. TACT Tripos, Inc. TRPS Trizetto Group, Inc. (The) TZIX UCBH Holdings, Inc UCBH Ultimate Software Group, Inc. (The) ULTI Ultralife Batteries, Inc. ULBI Universal Electronics, Inc. UEIC VaxGen, Inc. VXGN Vical, Inc. VICL Viisage Technology, Inc. VISG Vivus, Inc. VVUS Water Pik Technologies, Inc. PIK World Heart Corporation WHTOF Youbet.com UBET Contacts Roth Capital Partners Gordon McBean, 949-720-5700 gmcbean@rothcp.com or The Orbach Co., Inc. Nevena Orbach, 818-904-0500 nevena@orbachco.com

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/11/2004 5:05:59 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

We are the champions - my friends And we'll keep on fighting till the end We are the champions We are the champions No time for losers 'cause we are the champions - of the world

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/12/2004 9:01:52 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

Such a Loss’Is Cold Medicine Zapping Sense of Smell? abcnews.go.com

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/15/2004 9:22:32 AM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

A "ZICAMMED" CHEF SPOUSE POST IN ANOSMIA FORUM. NOT CHEF PAIGE'S SPOUSE THAT WAS FEATURED ON THE DENVERCHANNEL.COM BUT YET ANOTHER "ZICAMMED" VICTIM health.groups.yahoo.com From: "Sandy" <docquinn@a...> Date: Tue Feb 10, 2004 9:19 pm Subject: Last year we Went to Disney World I got sick and used Zicam I used Zicam because it is all natural, and I felt so safe, and that it really worked for me, it took my cold away so I could enjoy Disney with my family and my ederly Mother after the loss of my Dad. I lost more than that after thinking it was my cold that caused my lack of smell and taste, time went by. I went to see a ear, nose, and throat doctor, she said if my smell and taste did not return I most likely had nerve damage. My husband is the director of a Culinary School and an Exec.Chef, he writes books and I was always his tester of each recipe. Now, all of that is gone. Now, I couldn't smell if my house where on fire, now I can't smell my perfume or cooking I go by my memories only. I could panic, this was one of my finer senses, and now I have nothing. I am depressed and scared, will it come back? It has been over a year. Please someone tell me if it will come back? Sincerely, Sandra Wutsch

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/16/2004 8:57:16 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

Q. Isn't Zicam espousing homeopathy and isn't homeopathy medical quackery? A. This homeopathic "issue" is often brought up by people who seek to discredit Zicam without understanding what it is. Homeopathy is not the issue here. Although homeopathy itself is based on the use of infinitesimal amounts of material to treat illnesses and in many cases uses such dilute amounts of materials that they are unlikely to have any effect, Zicam is a 2% solution of Zinc Gluconate. In other words, it has measurable amounts of the substance. They key issue here is that for LABELING PURPOSES, 2% Zinc Gluconate, no matter how it is delivered, is not considered a "drug" by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), because it is a relatively harmless material. This is the same material in Quigley's cold-eeze, but in Zicam it is delivered to the site of action and is held in place by the Zinullose (tm) matrix - a type of bioadhesive that keeps the zinc ions close to the epithelial cells where the viruses are trying to attach. Zicam mimics the nasal ICAM and works several ways, one of which is to bind the rhinovirus so that it does not attach to the nasal ICAM. Since Zicam does not need to travel to the site of infection via the blood, it can be supplied at a low, but measurable dose. As a matter of fact, that is why Zicam is without all the side effects one associates with zinc lozenges. Irrespective of how one judges the efficacy of cold-eeze, the fact is that GumTech did not come up with the "homeopathic" labeling policy and is not the first company to issue a product under those guidelines. To review, while some people call the specific product, Zicam, "homeopathy", because there are negative connotations of homeopathic practice (since many homeopathic materials contain negligible amounts of substances and, therefore, have questionable efficacy at best), Zicam is a 2% solution of Zinc Gluconate in a gel matrix. It is a 33 millimolar solution. It is not a negligible amount. The reason for the label as "homeopathic" relates only to the labeling policies of our government regulatory agency, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). web.archive.org

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/16/2004 9:01:53 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

Q. How much zinc is in Zicam? A. Here is a post from the Silicon Investor "GUMM...Eliminate the common cold" thread. To: Dan Zimmermann (1166 ) From: Howard D. Epstein, M.D. Saturday, Oct 23 1999 2:53PM ET Reply # of 1255 While we are providing calculations, I decided to calculate the amount of zinc in Zicam(tm) lest there be any question about the stupid irrelevant homeopathic BS argument. Here are my numbers: Calculation for zinc exposure from Zicam. Although the label says 120 metered doses, I assume 2 nostrils per episode, so I double their metered amount to make an actual patient dose, then figured 5 sprays in each nostril (5 doses) per day. Zn = 65 g/mole, has 2+ charge as ion The chemical formula for Zinc Gluconate would be Zn (C6 H11 07)2. I do not know how to type subscripts here. The mw of Zn Gluconate would be 455 g/mole. Gluconate has 1- charge as ion so there are 2 gluconates in each mole of zinc gluconate. So molecular weight of Zn Gluconate is 65+195+195 =455 grams/mole 455 grams/mole (1000mg/gram)(1 mole/1000millimoles)=455mg per millimole of Zn Gluconate. Of this, 65 mg will be ionic zinc. Zicam (tm) is a 2% solution, about 0.033 mmole/ml. (65mg/millimole)(.033millimoles/milliliter) (0.125ml/nostril)(2 nostrils/dose)=0.536mg per dose. 5 doses per day will be 2.68 mg applied total per patient per day. By the way, the RDA for Zinc is 15 mg according to the multivitamin bottle in front of me, so even if you take an extra dose and assume 100% absorption, you are at 1/5 of the RDA. Even assuming a 100% error you can take home two messages from this: 1. There is real zinc in Zicam(tm), not an infinitesimal amount. 2. It is not enough zinc so as to be concerned with excess zinc absorption, even if you take 2 or 3 times the recommended amount. These two statements do not contradict each other. web.archive.org

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/16/2004 9:09:37 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

1. "There is real zinc in Zicam(tm), not an infinitesimal amount." Message 19814061

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/16/2004 9:11:55 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

Zicam is a 2% solution of Zinc Gluconate. In other words, it has measurable amounts of the substance. They key issue here is that for LABELING PURPOSES, 2% Zinc Gluconate, no matter how it is delivered, is not considered a "drug" by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), because it is a relatively harmless material." Message 19814044

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/16/2004 9:14:29 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

"ZICAM™ is safe to use on children age 3 or older" web.archive.org

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/17/2004 5:32:06 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

Carol Remond does it again. Award Winning Investigative Journalism. Wonder if she gets a Journalistic type of award for this one? SPEAR & JACKSON INC Form: 10-Q Filing Date: 2/13/2004 "The Company has learned that a Formal Order of Investigation was issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about January 29, 2004 relating to the accuracy of the Company's financial statements included in its reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and fulfillment by the Company of other statutory obligations under Federal Securities Laws. The Company has been cooperating with the Commission since the initiation of the inquiry, and has previously filed an amendment to its periodic reports in response to various comments and suggestions by the Staff. " ============================== IN THE MONEY : Digging Through Spear & Jackson's Books( By CAROL S. REMOND A Dow Jones Newswires Column NEW YORK -- Spear & Jackson Inc. (SJCK) investors could definitely use some of the U.K. company's manufactured tools and shovels to dig their way through this one. Until recently, the stock was riding high on the promise of increased sales and earnings. But when you rake under the surface, there are a few rocks investors need to look under before they plant any money into this company. For starters, it's difficult to figure out the company's financials. The same line entries on some Securities and Exchange Commission filings seem to change inexplicably in amendments. Then, it's worth noting that this company was a shell corporation until last September when it bought almost all of its assets from U.S. Industries (now called Jacuzzi Brands), a New York Stock Exchange listed company that had been trying to unload Spear & Jackson for some time as part of a restructuring. To say it "sold" Spear & Jackson for peanuts is not an overstatement. Need more? Take a look at Dennis Crowley, Spear & Jackson's chief executive, who was barred from the securities industry in the early 1990s for trading without permission in a customers account. That was after he and 13 other brokers and executives of the since-shuttered First Jersey Securities Inc. settled with regulators on charges of putting clients in unsuitable investments. Top it off with a promoter in South Florida called International Media Solutions Inc. which is heavily pushing the stock and you have reason to be wary. (Spear & Jackson's stock was hit with heavy selling Friday morning after a report on www.stocklemon.com questioned some of its accounting. Recently, the stock was off 24% at $8.75, off $3.26 in very heavy volume). Spear & Jackson officials in the U.S. and U.K. did not return phone calls over the past few days. This story of Spear & Jackson as a publicly traded company begins last September when a shell called MegaPro Tools bought the Spear & Jackson assets from what is now Jacuzzi Brands (JJZ). MegaPro did a reverse merger and renamed itself Spear & Jackson. According to one filing with the SEC not long after the acquisition, Spear & Jackson bought the assets from Jacuzzi for roughly $7.8 million in stock and a promissory note for 150,000 British Pounds, valued at the time around $234,000. But according to an annual report filed with the SEC on January 13, 2003, Spear & Jackson upped the purchase consideration, saying it was closer to $19 million. Then, four months later, Spear & Jackson filed an amendment with the SEC to that same annual report, that now lists the purchase consideration at $305,000. How the big difference? Here are some examples. Originally it said it was purchasing assets that included $21.1 million of inventory as of Sept. 6, 2002. But the amended filing said those inventories were really worth only $271,000. In the original filing it said it was buying trade receivables worth $17.5 million. The amended filing lists those trade receivables at $101,000. Why the big difference? You wouldn't know by looking at the filings because they don't explain. It is worth noting that while the company changes the values of what it purchased in one part of the filings, it wasn't consistent in doing so in other parts. For example, the original filing shows inventories on the balance sheet of $19.8 million while the amended filing shows inventory roughly the same at $19.6 million. Also confusing is trying to figure out what Spear & Jackson's sales and earnings are. In the filing made in January, it listed sales for the nine month period ending Sept. 30, 2002, of $7.1 million with net income of $67,000. Then in the amended filing, it changes its fiscal year. Now, it says it had sales of $90.9 million for the year ended Sept. 30, 2002, and had a net loss of $2.4 million. Another significant change in these two filings has a big impact on the shareholder equity or book value of the company. In the original annual report filed on January 13, Spear & Jackson said it had a pension liability of roughly $30 million (more on the pension liability in a minute). Four months later, in the amended filing that underfunded pension fund now apparently had a surplus because the liability disappears from the balance sheet and shows up as a $14.9 million asset. So, the company goes from having book value of $21.6 million in the initial filing to one having book value of $54 million - more than doubled. It's market capitalization Friday was just under $100 million. Investors listening to a conference call on May 12 with CEO Crowley may have gotten the sense something was up with the pension fund. On the call, Crowley conceded that Spear & Jackson had "an underfunded pension plan right now like most other companies." Crowley said that if Spear & Jackson had to fund its pension plan right now, the company would need between $15 million to $16 million, not the $30 million liability showing up on its books. "That was the worst case scenario," Crowley told listeners. Now, back to that $30 million liability. Jacuzzi Brands' General Counsel Steven Barre said that Spear & Jackson's $30 million pension liability "was part of the analysis" behind the decision to sell the company. Barre, whose company is the second largest shareholder with 3.5 million shares or about 30%, said he wasn't familiar with the basis for the accounting changes at Spear & Jackson. The largest holder is Crowley, who has about 6 million shares. Unexplained changes in accounting reporting aside, shareholders may want to check out the previous regulatory problems of Spear & Jackson's CEO, Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman of the Board, Dennis Crowley. According to an NASD complaint, Crowley was voluntarily terminated by BC Financial in April 1990 after a customer complained that Crowley placed his account on margin without his knowledge and sold stock at a $6,000 loss without informing him of the loss. Crowley failed to answer NASD requests for information and was permanently barred by the NASD in late 1991. This was not Crowley's first run-in with securities regulators. In late 1990, Crowley was one of 14 First Jersey Securities Inc. brokers and executives who settled, without admitting or denying the truth of the findings, an NASD complaint alleging, among other things, that the firm and its brokers recommended and executed transactions unsuitable for their clients and failed to warn them that those transactions involved substantial risks. The NASD censured, fined and banned Crowley for 15 business days. First Jersey's flamboyant chairman and chief officer Robert Brennan, who was also named in the complaint, is now serving a nine-year sentence at Fort Dix Correctional Institution for bankruptcy fraud. Meanwhile, the relationship between Spear & Jackson and promotional firm International Media Solutions is unclear given that the company hasn't made any public announcement about it. International Media Solutions president Kermit Silva declined to speak with Dow Jones Newswires. The authors of a research report sent around by International Media Solutions staffers to generate interest in Spear & Jackson's stock declined to comment on the content of the report. When asked whether his firm looked into Spear & Jackson's accounting, Atlanta Equity Research LLC's Kenneth Smith, one of the two analysts listed on the report, said "our research is really not meant for general distribution...Just our subscribers." Asked about International Media Solutions and Spear & Jackson, Smith said "it must be their PR firm." He said that International Media Solutions was not a subscriber and that he was unaware that the firm was using his report to market Spear & Jackson. (Carol S. Remond is one of four "In The Money " columnists who take a sophisticated look at the value of companies and their securities and explore unique trading strategies.) -By Carol S. Remond; Dow Jones Newswires; 201 938 2074; carol.remond@dowjones.com Updated July 11, 2003 3:03 p.m.

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/17/2004 5:51:46 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

Dan said::"Who cares what reporters said. Journalists and are not held to the same standard of reporting as a publically traded company. Matrixx said that the FDA is not investigating Zicam Cold Remedy. The only question is whether the journalists are playing games with semantics, were misled by someone (maybe a short seller that fed them incorrect or misleading information for their article), or lying outright." ================================================= FDA SAID ACCORDING TO DOW JONES:"Commenting on a statement by Matrixx on Feb.2 that it wasn't aware of an FDA inquiry, FDA's spokesman Brad Stone said "if the company wasn't aware that we are looking into this matter, it should be aware of it at this point...It's a matter of public record that we are looking into it." sg.biz.yahoo.com Wednesday February 18, 2:29 AM Matrixx Has Contacted FDA About Zicam Cold Remedy By Carol S. Remond Of Dow Jones Newswires NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Matrixx Initiatives Inc. (MTXX) says that it will cooperate with the Food and Drug Administration and answer any questions that the government agency may have about the safety of Zicam Cold Remedy. Get your lucky numbers every on Sunday and Wednesday! My Mobile No. Matrixx Chief Executive Officer Carl Johnson told investors during a conference call Tuesday that the company has not "been informed by the FDA of an inquiry or an investigation." Johnson said reports linking Zicam Cold Remedy to anosmia, or loss of smell, are "misleading and completely unfounded." "However, reflecting our concern for this issue, we have taken the unusual step of communicating with the FDA, providing them with copies of our public statements on this matter. And we assured them that we will cooperate openly and fully should they have any questions what so ever regarding this matter," Johnson said. Dow Jones first reported on Jan. 30 in an "In The Money" column that the FDA is looking into complaints that Zicam Cold Remedy, a spray designed to deliver a zinc gel into the nose, may be causing some users to lose their sense of smell. Other news organizations have since reported similar stories. So far, five lawsuits have been filed against Matrixx by users of Zicam Cold Remedy who claim to have lost their sense of smell after using the product. An FDA spokeperson wasn't immdiately available to comment on Johnson's statements. Commenting on a statement by Matrixx on Feb.2 that it wasn't aware of an FDA inquiry, FDA's spokesman Brad Stone said "if the company wasn't aware that we are looking into this matter, it should be aware of it at this point...It's a matter of public record that we are looking into it." The company's stock is currently trading at $10.59, up 39 cents or 3.8%, on volume of 315,531 shares. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2004Dow Jones & Company Inc. All rights reserved.

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/17/2004 5:58:55 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 5582

YOU CERTAINLY ARE A SCUMBUZZARD DAN ZIMMERMAN. KEEP LYING TO EVERYONE. THEY ARE BUILDING A SPECIAL RING OF FIRE IN HADES FOR THIS KIND. WAITING FOR DAN ZIMMERMAN'S JUDGMENT DAY!! THETRUTHSEEKER

To: DanZ who wrote (5013)	2/26/2004 10:58:54 PM
From: Frank_Ching	Respond to of 5582

Reply by Ronald B. Turner to Dr. Yiu journals.uchicago.edu Reply Ronald B. Turner Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Ronald B. Turner, Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Virginia Health Care System, PO Box 800386, Charlottesville, VA 22908 (rbt2n@virginia.edu). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIRThank you for the opportunity to respond to Dr. Yiu's comments [1] concerning my article on the ineffectiveness of intranasal zinc gluconate for the prevention of experimentally induced rhinovirus colds [2]. I am pleased that he finds the experimental rhinovirus challenge model to be an acceptable method for the evaluation of treatments for the common cold. This model has been used for the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of the common cold for >30 years. When treatments have been studied in both the model and the natural setting, the model has generally been a reliable predictor of treatment efficacy for naturally occurring colds. The first concern raised by Dr. Yiu relates to the experimental power of the study. As noted in the first paragraph of the Discussion section of the article [2], the experimental power of the study was 80% for detection of a 52% reduction in clinical colds. Treatment effects of at least this magnitude have been consistently observed when agents with well-documented antiviral activity are used as prophylaxis in the experimental challenge model reviewed in a series of studies mentioned elsewhere [3] and in a single study reported in a separate article [4]. In light of this experience, I believe it is unlikely that our study missed clinically important effects of intranasal zinc on rhinovirus colds. Dr. Yiu also questions the decision to combine data from volunteers challenged with 2 different rhinovirus serotypes in the analysis. The 2 rhinovirus serotypes used in our study are representative of the major group of rhinoviruses that bind to cells via intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1). None of the variety of mechanisms that have been suggested as explanations for the potential effects of zinc on rhinovirus colds, with the exception of inhibition of ICAM binding, would be serotype specific. From a practical perspective, it is difficult to imagine that a treatment that is effective against only a fraction of rhinovirus serotypes would be clinically useful. For these reasons, an analysis that examines the effect of treatment on rhinovirus infection and illness, regardless of serotype, seems appropriate. Adequate blinding has been particularly difficult to achieve in studies of zinc therapies. In this study, we evaluated and reported (1) whether the volunteers could taste the study medication; (2) if the volunteers could taste the medication, their perception of the quality of taste; and (3) the volunteers' belief regarding whether they were receiving active medication or placebo. We also evaluated whether a difference in the rate of occurrence of side effects in the 2 treatment groups might have biased the study. Dr. Yiu correctly notes that the volunteers who received active medication were significantly more likely to report that they could taste the medication. No differences between the placebo and active treatment groups were found for any of the other measures of blinding in the study. It also seems likely that, had the study been inadequately blinded, this would have favored the active treatment rather than placebo. The observation of a significant reduction in the virus titers of the nasal lavage samples obtained from volunteers treated with zinc is discussed in some detail in the second paragraph of the Discussion section. Although this antiviral effect is of some modest interest from a biological perspective, the practical significance of an antiviral effect that is not associated with a reduction in either the infection rate or clinical illness is not clear. Finally, I am not aware of having received previous communication from Dr. Yiu. The article was not publicly made available until it was electronically published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on 25 October 2001. Under the conditions of the study agreement, a draft of the article was provided to the sponsor of the study for comment before it was submitted to Clinical Infectious Diseases. The comments I received from the sponsor, some of which were similar to those of Dr. Yiu, were considered, and changes to the manuscript were made at my discretion. I was not asked to respond to the sponsor's comments, nor do I believe that a response was expected. I am sorry if Dr. Yiu misunderstood this arrangement. References 1. Yiu SC. Evaluation of the efficacy of intranasal zinc gluconate [letter]. Clin Infect Dis 2002; 34:1657 (in this issue). First citation in article \| Full Text \| PubMed 2. Turner RB. Ineffectiveness of intranasal zinc gluconate for prevention of experimental rhinovirus colds. Clin Infect Dis 2001; 33:186570. First citation in article \| Full Text \| PubMed 3. Arruda E, Hayden FG. Clinical studies of antiviral agents for picornavirus infections. In: Jeffries DJ, De Clercq E, eds. Antiviral chemotherapy. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 1995:32155. First citation in article 4. Schiff GM, Sherwood JR. Clinical activity of pleconaril in an experimentally induced coxsackievirus A21 respiratory infection. J Infect Dis 2000; 181:206. First citation in article \| Full Text \| PubMed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- journals.uchicago.edu