Zicam is a product based on the Cleveland clinic study. The company has done fairly well marketing zinc as a help for flu and cold symptoms. Recently some hungry lawyers have attacked them for possibly causing anosmia (loss of sense of smell). In reality, the virus that causes the cold symptoms can often attack the olfactory nerves, so anosmia from a cold is not terribly uncommon. In the past zinc has actually been utilized for curing anosmia.

The company ended up settling the case for business reasons. Proving your innocence is often far more costly than buying off your attackers. Zicam remains an option for cold and flu patients. My feeling is that it certainly does no harm.