chemistry
A Cure for the Common Cold?
The common cold is found everywhere on the planet and infects everyone. The average adult is infected twice a year. Since children are around many people at school they are infected six to twelve times a year. Even though a cold is not considered a serious disease it causes workers and students to take several days off to recover. These “vacation” days cost the economy over $20 billion per year. Many of us use over the counter (OTC) medications to help us get rid of the runny nose, coughing, and sore throat but these drugs only help us feel better. They do not help us fight the virus or prevent it from infecting us in the first place. The virus attacks our cells by binding to the iCAM-1 receptor. Think of the receptor as a locked door and the virus has a key. One way to prevent the common cold would be to block this door so the virus cannot infect our cells. One company claims that they have found a way to do this. The company claims that zinc prevents the virus from binding to the iCAM-1 receptor, hence the name Zicam, Zinc ICAM-1.
Zicam has been marketed as a way to shorten and weaken colds. While it will not prevent you from getting a cold they say that it will help you fight off the cold faster with fewer symptoms. To get optimum results the remedy is sprayed directly into the nose, a common site of infection. Zicam proved to be very popular and within a few years it was a $60 million a year product.
ZICAM AD FROM 2002 WITH HOMEOPATHIC DRUG
Unfortunately reports of side effects started appearing. Around 1,000 people reported anosmia, or losing all sense of smell, after using the product. This is even worse when you consider that smell and taste are closely linked. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the company to stop marketing Zicam until it passed safety testing and was approved by the FDA. The company decided against getting FDA approval and stopped selling the product. But if you go to the supermarket or drug store today you can probably find Zicam. The company has changed the ingredients and started making lozenges and not just nose sprays.
What do YOU think about Zicam?
TEST YOUR CRITICAL THINKING BY ANSWERING THREE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS IN THIS "THINK LIKE A...CHEMIST" FORUM.
1. If Zicam had detrimental side effects, how did it get approved to be sold?
2. Why do you think the makers of Zicam switched their active ingredients in the nasal spray to one already used in Afrin and other OTC medicines?
3. What biases might exist to keep pharmaceuticals on the market after they are approved by the FDA?