Hemila H, et al. - A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate a commercially available zinc acetate lozenge for treating the common cold. Men and women aged ≥18 years who normally had ≥1 cold per winter were enrolled in this study. A total of 253 individuals were assigned randomly to receive a package of lozenges to be taken if they caught a common cold. In the primary analysis, of the 253 individuals, 88 contracted the common cold and 87 were included. They used Cox regression to analyze the rate of recovery from the common cold. In the treatment of the common cold, a commercially available zinc acetate lozenge was not effective when instructed to be used for 5 days after the first symptoms. They found that taste has been a common problem in previous zinc lozenge trials, they did not find any adverse effects in one-third of zinc individuals.