Cold-fX

Cold-FX
InventorAfexa Life Sciences Inc.
ManufacturerValeant Pharmaceuticals International
AvailableAvailable
Current supplierValeant Pharmaceuticals International
Websitewww.cold-fx.ca

Cold-FX is a product derived from the roots of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). It was formulated by Jacqueline Shan[1] and originally manufactured by her company, Afexa Life Sciences (formerly called CV Technologies),[2] which was acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2011.

There is little evidence to support that Cold-fx is effective in the common cold.[3][4] All trials have been done by the manufacturer and there has been poor data reporting.[3] According to Health Canada's Natural Health Product Directorate records, the company claims that it may "help reduce the frequency, severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms by boosting the immune system".[5] COLD-FX is licensed by Health Canada as a Natural Health Product.[6] The efficacy of this extract has been tested in clinical trials conducted in collaboration with researchers from Canadian universities. COLD-FX has been assessed in 6 published randomized, double-blinded and placebo controlled clinical trials and 20+ published articles[7][3][8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ Keung, Nicholas (16 June 2014). "From Chinese village girl to Canadian CEO: Cold-FX founder writes her story". Toronto Star. Torstar. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  2. ^ "What is COLD-fX intended for?". Cold-fX: Frequently Asked Questions. Archived from the original on 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  3. ^ a b c McElhaney J., et al. COLD-FX® Stimulates Cell Mediated Immune Response of Peripheral Leukocytes ex-vivo to Influenza Virus in National Hockey League Players. The Open Nutraceuticals Journal, 2010; 3: 25-29
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Seida2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Product Information". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23.
  6. ^ Health Canada Natural Health Product Database.
  7. ^ Predy GN, Goel V, Lovlin RE et al . Immune modulating effects of daily supplementation of COLD-FX (a proprietary extract of North American ginseng) in healthy adults. J Clin Biochem Nutr 2006;39:162-7
  8. ^ Vohra S, Johnston BC, Laycock KL et al. Safety and tolerability of North American ginseng extract in the treatment of pediatric upper respiratory tract infection: a phase II randomized, controlled trial of 2 dosing schedules. Pediatrics 2008; 122:e402-10.
  9. ^ Predy GN, Goel V, Lovlin R, Donner A, Stitt L, Basu TK. Efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng containing poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides for preventing upper respiratory tract infections: a randomized controlled trial. CMAJ. 2005;173:1043-1048.
  10. ^ McElhaney JE, Goel V, Toane B, Hooten J, Shan JJ. Efficacy of COLD-fX in the prevention of respiratory symptoms in community-dwelling adults: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2006;12:153-7.
  11. ^ McElhaney JE, Simor AE, McNeil S, Predy GN. Efficacy and safety of CVT-E002, a proprietary extract of panax quiquefolius in the prevention of respiratory infections in influenza-vaccinated community-dwelling adults: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. Influenza Res Treat. 2011; 2011: 1-8.