Fixodent Zinc Poisoning Reports and Scientific Data Disputed by P&G

In response to a recent investigative report by ABC News about Fixodent problems, Proctor & Gamble is disputing reported claims and scientific data that suggest a link between Fixodent and nerve damage from zinc poisoning. 

In an ABC News Investigation that first aired yesterday, several former denture cream users who are suffering nerve damage from Fixodent were interviewed.

These users are each pursuing a Fixodent lawsuit against Proctor & Gamble as a result of their failure to warn that the denture adhesive contained zinc, which allegedly caused the users to experience permanent nerve damage when high amounts of the zinc entered the body.

The ABC News report also revealed that a study involving individuals who developed nerve damage due to zinc poisoning after using denture cream, may have been improperly delayed. One of the peer reviewers for the study, Dr. Kenneth Shay, reportedly delayed the study and criticized the findings, while failing to reveal that he was a paid consultant for Proctor & Gamble. ABC News also reported that Dr. Shay passed the study on to Proctor and Gamble before it was published, which is a violation of medical research ethics.

A growing number of Fixodent zinc poisoning lawsuits have been filed against Proctor & Gamble for failing to adequately warn that their denture cream contains zinc or that excessive use of the product may cause severe and debilitating neurological damage when too much zinc enters the body.

According to allegations raised in the lawsuits over Fixodent, increased levels of zinc in the body can deplete copper levels, causing a condition known as hypocupremia, which is known to increase the risk of significant neurological problems that can leave users with permanent and debilitating physical injuries, such as neuropathy, numbness, tingling, pain, weakness, loss of sensation, loss of balance, paralysis and difficulty breathing.

While Proctor & Gamble declined to answer questions as part of the ABC News report, they issued a statement disputing the reported connection between Fixodent and zinc poisoning.

“Fixodent is safe for use as directed, as supported by the experience of millions of consumers over many years. Our Fixodent formula has undergone extensive scientific testing, and we continuously monitor its safe use,” the company stated. “We know of no valid scientific evidence that using Fixodent as directed causes any ill health effects.”

The statement comes nearly a year after Proctor & Gamble update their packaging to add information about the zinc in Fixodent, alerting users to the presence of zinc in the formula and warning that it could be linked to nerve damage with excessive use.

In response to the same scientific data that Proctor & Gamble disputes, GlaxoSmithKline decided to remove zinc from Super Poligrip, their competing denture cream product. Glaxo has also reported that Super Poligrip settlements have been reached in the vast majority of lawsuits that have been filed by users who alleged that they experienced neurological damage from zinc poisoning after using the denture cream.