Denture Cream Zinc Poisoning Side Effects Lawsuit News

GlaxoSmithKline pulls denture adhesive, citing risk of zinc overdose

-The Denver Post

02/23/2010 - GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the maker of a denture adhesive that a Bennett woman claims caused neurological damage to her legs, has stopped manufacturing three versions of Super Poligrip that contain zinc because of "potential health risks from long-term, excessive use of the products."

The company says its decision to stop making Super Poligrip Original, Extra Care and Ultra Fresh had nothing to do with lawsuits filed by Rae Ann Schmaltz of Bennett and at least 100 others.

"Our decision to stop the distribution of Super Poligrip is not based on the lawsuits being filed," said GSK spokeswoman Malesia Dunn. "We are doing this because of the literature and case reports we have been receiving and reviewing."

But the Denver lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Schmaltz, called the GlaxoSmithKline announcement remarkable.

"It all but admits there is a cause and effect relationship between the use of this product and the health risks shown by plaintiffs such as Schmaltz," her attorney said. "Litigation is the reason this has been brought to a rapid head, and thousands if not millions of consumers have been rewarded by reduced risks to their health."

Schmaltz, a dancer, athlete and coach, was barely into her 40s when she began losing the use of her legs for reasons no one could find.

She was tested for two years, but the results were inconclusive. Finally, Dr. Mark Treihaft of Swedish Hospital diagnosed acute copper deficiency, caused by the ingestion of too much zinc, likely through the use of her denture adhesive.

Research conducted in part at the University of Colorado School of Medicine linked denture-adhesive zinc and neurological damage, such as extreme numbness and tingling in the limbs, known as neuropathy. Dr. Philip Boyer, one of the CU researchers who made the link, also said taking too much zinc in supplements could cause nerve damage.

Based on the CU research, Schmaltz sued GlaxoSmithKline in January 2008.

GlaxoSmithKline maintains that people who suffered neurological damage or blood problems such as anemia misused the adhesives by using too much, or applying it too frequently.

Zinc-free versions of the three Poligrip products are expected to be in stores by late April or early May, Dunn said.

Locally, Walgreens pharmacies have not pulled Super Poligrip from their shelves. "GlaxoSmithKline has reassured us that these products are safe when used as directed," said spokesman Robert Elfinger. "We also offer zinc-free alternatives, like our Walgreens brand of denture adhesives."