Matrixx Initiatives recalls one lot of Zicam gel over contamination concerns

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A single lot of a congestion-relief product has been recalled due to bacterial contamination found in a sample, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

Matrixx Initiatives launched a voluntary recall of one lot of Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief nasal gel Tuesday following the discovery of Burkholderia cepacia bacteria in a single sample taken from lot No. 2J23, which carries an expiration date of September 2015. The company has notified distributors and retail customers by FedEx letter and telephone, and is arranging for a the return of all recalled products, the FDA said.

The agency said that B. cepacia causes little risk to healthy people, but delivered in a nasal spray, it could colonize the upper airways and lead to respiratory infections in people with compromised immune systems or chronic lung conditions, such as cystic fibrosis. The bacteria are resistant to many antibiotics and could be difficult to eradicate in such people if infection occurs.

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