Zinc gluconate glycine

Zinc gluconate glycine is a chemical derivative formed by adding the amino acid glycine to a compound of zinc gluconate. It is available as an over-the-counter remedy for the common cold.

Zinc gluconate, when made into a lozenge by itself, has a mildly acidic taste, which will turn into a bitter taste over a period of time. The addition of large amounts of glycine to the lozenge produces a much milder and more stable taste. The resulting commercial products have a nearly unlimited shelf life.

This compound was patented in 1985 by The Quigley Corporation, which has trademarked the name ZIGG™ for the compound. The company is also the only major supplier of zinc gluconate glycine, distributed under the brand name Cold-Eeze. All clinical studies of the compound to date have involved the lozenges in this product family.

Like its base compound zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate glycine has been shown in clinical trials to shorten the mean and median duration of symptoms of the common cold. The amount of glycine added can range anywhere from two to twenty moles of glycine for each mole of zinc gluconate (US Patent 4,684,528, Claim 1). The addition of glycine significantly reduces the effectiveness of the base compound, roughly proportional to the ratio of glycine to zinc gluconate.

The manufacturer claims that their product reduces the duration of common cold symptoms by 42%, compared to the natural duration. However, as stated above, the actual benefits gained from the product depends heavily on the amount of glycine added. Repeated clinical trials of the compound have generally shown a measurable, but varied, benefit relative to a placebo, typically on the order of a one to four day reduction in symptom duration.

External Links

• U.S. Patent 4,758,439 – Flavor of zinc supplements for oral use
• U.S. Patent 4,684,528 – Flavor of zinc supplements for oral use
• http://coldcure.com/html/common-cold.pdf – Review of multiple zinc-based cold treatments.
• http://www.coldeeze.com/clinical_info/index.html – Clinical information from manufacturer.