21 Jul 2016 Blackmores Institute Zinc lozenges help most patients recover earlier from the common cold 21 Jul 2016 Share Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Pinterest News Zinc acetate lozenges may reduce the duration of the common cold by nearly 3 days, according to a recent analysis. Among 199 patients with the common cold who participated in three randomized placebo-controlled trials, the effect of zinc lozenges was not modified by allergy status, smoking, symptom severity, age, sex, or ethnic group. × To continue reading this article, please Log In or Sign Up for access.