Two More Cases of Zicam Smell Loss in Hawaii

Hawaii Kai, HITwo more residents of the Aloha state have filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical company Matrixx, claiming that Zicam side effects have robbed them of their sense of taste and smell.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">In June the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the potential risks involving Zicam nasal gels and swabs, both popular over-the-counter cold remedies. The warning came about after more than 130 cases of anosmia, or the loss of smell, were attributed to the medication after as much as one use of the product.

Matrixx, Zicam's manufacturer, has successfully defended the product from similar claims in the past. Yet with more than 800 cases of anosmia now linked to the medication, according to a report filed by ABC News, the company may be readying for more legal proceedings in the future.

"You need to do some research," says Ilana Waxman, an attorney for the one of the Hawaiian plaintiffs. "You need to test it and you need to make sure it's safe before you put it out on the market. The people who manufacture Zicam didn't do that."