Super Poligrip Zinc Warning Added to Product Insert

A new insert has been added to Super Poligrip warning users that the denture cream contains zinc, and that use of excessive amounts can cause “serious health effects”. The warning comes as the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, faces a number of Super Poligrip lawsuits filed by individuals who have suffered severe and debilitating injuries as a result of zinc poisoning from the denture adhesive.

Prior packaging did not acknowledge that Super PoliGrip contains zinc, which can enter the body when the product is used. If large amounts of the denture cream are used over an extended period of time, or if the product is used together with zinc supplements, high levels of zinc build up in the body. This may result in decreased copper levels in the blood, a condition known as hypocupremia, which may lead to neuropathy and permanent nerve damage.

More than 30 denture cream zinc poisoning lawsuits have been filed in federal court against GlaxoSmithKline over Super Poligrip problems or against Proctor & Gamble over their Fixodent denture cream. The complaints allege that the manufacturers failed to adequately warn about the risk of zinc poisoning.

The new insert about zinc in Super Poligrip warns that the product contains zinc, urging consumers to speak to their doctor before using the denture cream if they are taking daily zinc supplements. The SuperPoligrip zinc warning also indicates that consumers should only use the product as directed, warning that “using excessive amounts of this product over a prolonged period of time has been reported to result in serious health effects from increased zinc intake.”

More detailed information is also provided to instruct users about the proper use of the product, as many denture wearers report using several tubes a week due to ill-fitting dentures. The instructions indicate that a tube should last between 3 and 10 weeks depending on the size.

Although the recommended daily allowance of zinc is only 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women, with 40 mg being the maximum amount of zinc that can be safely tolerated, some denture creams have been found to expose users to levels as high as 330 mg per day.

Zinc poisoning from Super PoliGrip or Fixodent can result in neuropathy, myelopathy, anemia, bone marrow failure, central nervous system deficits and other neurological injuries, according to lawsuits filed against the manufacturers. Symptoms often involve numbness, tingling, pain, weakness, loss of sensation, loss of balance, paralysis or difficulty breathing.

In June, all Super Poligrip lawsuit and Fixodent lawsuit claims pending in federal courts throughout the United States were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) for coordinated pretrial litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.