Consumer Alert: Denture Cream Maker Warns Doctors of Product Dangers

GlaxoSmithKline Continues to Blame Patients Crippled by Poligrip

HOUSTON, March 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has taken the extraordinary step of warning doctors about the dangers posed by its denture cream, while continuing to blame and mislead patients crippled by its products.  On February 18, the company announced that it would remove zinc from all of its denture adhesive products, citing concerns about the "safety and health" of its consumers.  GSK has added the potentially hazardous mineral to its adhesives for decades, despite overwhelming evidence that consuming large quantities of zinc over an extended period of time can cause serious neurological damage.

On the same day it announced that it would discontinue using zinc, the pharmaceutical giant sent a letter to doctors across the country warning them of the "potential health risk" posed by "long-term excessive use of GSK's zinc-containing denture adhesives Super Poligrip 'Original', Super Poligrip 'Ultra Fresh', and Super Poligrip 'Extra Care.'"  The letter stated that in 2009, the company had "received an increased number of adverse event reports" that together with recent medical literature suggest that there were serious dangers associated with denture adhesives spiked with zinc.

Even as Glaxo warned doctors of the dangers posed by its denture cream, the company continued to blame users of its products, writing, "some patients apply more adhesive than directed and use it more than once per day."  

Leading pharmaceutical attorney, Ed Blizzard of Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers, noted that Super Poligrip lacked any labeling warning of these risks until recently.  "It is more than a little unfair to blame denture wearers for using the product as needed. These victims weren't eating their adhesives like frosting. They were merely trying to keep their dentures in their mouth."

Currently, about 70 lawsuits have been consolidated into multi-district litigation in Miami against both GlaxoSmithKline and Proctor & Gamble, makers of denture adhesive containing zinc. And at least 20 other mass tort claims have been filed in Philadelphia, where GlaxoSmithKline's headquarters are located.  Recently, Blizzard was named to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Miami MDL.

While GSK's decision to remove zinc from its adhesives bodes well for future consumers of its products, Fixodent, made by Proctor & Gamble, still contains the mineral.  It's crucial that anyone currently using either Poligrip or Fixodent and experiencing weakness or numbness seek medical attention immediately.  For more information about the dangers of zinc and denture adhesives, please visit www.denturecreamjustice.com.

Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers, LLC, one of the nation's leading pharmaceutical litigation firms, represents thousands of clients harmed by dangerous drugs and medical devices and has taken on some of the world's largest corporations, including Bristol-Myers, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer and Dow Chemical. 

SOURCE Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers, LLC