GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Inc. announced yesterday it will stop selling denture creams containing zinc, after facing a number of lawsuits and questions about product safety.
GlaxoSmithKline said it’s a precautionary measure to prevent any potential long-term health problems in people who use zinc-containing Poli-Grip in excess of the amount indicated on the label.
Taking in excessive amounts of zinc can cause serious neurological problems and lead to numbness, tingling or weakness in the limbs as well as difficulty walking and balancing or anemia and other blood problems, the company said.
“The product remains safe when used as directed, but because of these new reports, and because of the increased number of adverse reports that we’ve seen, we’ve taken this precautionary step to try to avoid further potential risks to people who would continue to use the product in excess of the label directions,” said Howard Marsh, chief medical officer at GSK Consumer Healthcare in an interview.
The public is “still largely unaware of the dangers posed by zinc-based denture adhesives,” Scott Nabers, partner at Blizzard, McCarthy and Nabers, said in a statement.
Since 1981, the law firm of Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers, LLP has recovered over 9 billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for thousands of individuals all over the United States. The firm specializes in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation.
