ArticleOpen forum infectious diseases2017
Zinc Acetate Lozenges May Improve the Recovery Rate of Common Cold Patients: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis.
Article in Open forum infectious diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- The Role of Nutrition in COVID-19 Susceptibility and Severity of Disease: A Systematic Review.The Journal of nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Early intervention with ColdZyme mouth spray after self-diagnosis of common cold: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.PloS one · 2023Trial
- The Effect of a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement on Immune Function in Healthy Older Adults: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- Zinc acetate lozenges for the treatment of the common cold: a randomised controlled trial.BMJ open · 2020Trial
- Article
- Article
- Shortcomings in the Cochrane review on zinc for the common cold (2024).Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Vitamin D and Zinc Supplementation to Improve Treatment Outcomes among COVID-19 Patients in India: Results from a Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.Current developments in nutrition · 2023Article
- Novel antioxidant protein target therapy to counter the prevalence and severity of SARS-CoV-2.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- The Mechanisms of Zinc Action as a Potent Anti-Viral Agent: The Clinical Therapeutic Implication in COVID-19.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Article
- Quantile Treatment Effect of Zinc Lozenges on Common Cold Duration: A Novel Approach to Analyze the Effect of Treatment on Illness Duration.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
- Carrageenan nasal spray may double the rate of recovery from coronavirus and influenza virus infections: Re-analysis of randomized trial data.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2021Article
- Zinc and SARS‑CoV‑2: A molecular modeling study of Zn interactions with RNA‑dependent RNA‑polymerase and 3C‑like proteinase enzymes.International journal of molecular medicine · 2021Article
- The Implications of Zinc Therapy in Combating the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.Journal of inflammation research · 2021Review
- Common Cold and Acute Rhinosinusitis: Up-to-Date Management in 2020.Current allergy and asthma reports · 2020Review
- Immune-Boosting, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Food Supplements Targeting Pathogenesis of COVID-19.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Review
- Possible role of zinc (Zn) as an adjunctive therapy in gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19 infectious disease.Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench · 2020Article
- Vitamin C and zinc lozenges for COVID-19?Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhAArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA previous meta-analysis of 3 zinc acetate lozenge trials estimated that colds were on average 40% shorter for the zinc groups. However, the duration of colds is a time outcome, and survival analysis may be a more informative approach. The objective of this individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis was to estimate the effect of zinc acetate lozenges on the rate of recovery from colds.
methodsWe analyzed IPD for 3 randomized placebo-controlled trials in which 80-92 mg/day of elemental zinc were administered as zinc acetate lozenges to 199 common cold patients. We used mixed-effects Cox regression to estimate the effect of zinc.
resultsPatients administered zinc lozenges recovered faster by rate ratio 3.1 (95% confidence interval, 2.1-4.7). The effect was not modified by age, sex, race, allergy, smoking, or baseline common cold severity. On the 5th day, 70% of the zinc patients had recovered compared with 27% of the placebo patients. Accordingly, 2.6 times more patients were cured in the zinc group. The difference also corresponds to the number needed to treat of 2.3 on the 5th day. None of the studies observed serious adverse effects of zinc.
conclusionsThe 3-fold increase in the rate of recovery from the common cold is a clinically important effect. The optimal formulation of zinc lozenges and an ideal frequency of their administration should be examined. Given the evidence of efficacy, common cold patients may be instructed to try zinc acetate lozenges within 24 hours of onset of symptoms.
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