Super Poligrip with Zinc to be Discontinued due to Risk of Zinc Poisoning

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GlaxoSmithKline PLC will discontinue Super Poligrip with zinc, due to the risk that use of the denture adhesive may cause serious and potentially debilitating problems from zinc poisoning.

Super Poligrip Original, Ultra Fresh and Extra Care denture cream products will be removed from shelves and replaced with zinc-free versions, the British drug company announced on Thursday. The product change comes as the company faces mounting Poligrip lawsuits over health problems allegedly caused by zinc in the denture adhesive products. Excess levels of zinc entering the body from the denture cream could cause users to suffer neurological damage from zinc poisoning.

GlaxoSmithKline says that it is discontinuing the products due to the “health problems associated with the long-tern excessive use of our zinc-containing denture adhesive products.” However, the company said it still believes that the products are safe when used in recommended amounts. GlaxoSmithKline has maintained that users are only in danger when they use more than the recommended amount in order to compensate for ill-fitting dentures.

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Eventually, GlaxoSmithKline says there will be zinc-free versions of all of the discontinued denture creams, but did not announce when those products would be available. There is already a Super Poligrip Free on the market, which does not contain zinc. The replacement products will be clearly marked as being zinc-free, the company said.

A number of denture cream lawsuits have been filed against GlaxoSmithKline over its Poligrip cream, and against Proctor and Gamble over its Fixodent denture adhesive. All cases filed in federal courts throughout the United States have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) for coordinated pretrial litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Proctor & Gamble officials say they have no plans to discontinue Fixodent, maintaining that it has half the zinc as Super Poligrip and is safe for use. Both companies have faced calls from critics for zinc to be removed from the products, which previously contained no warnings about the risk of zinc poisoning.

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. Although the recommended daily allowance of zinc is 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 is believed to help with the adhesive properties of the denture creams. However, until recently neither GlaxoSmithKline or Proctor and Gamble had alerted users that zinc was an ingredient in their products.

In October, GlaxoSmithKline added a new Super Poligrip zinc warning to the denture cream, notifying consumers that the product contains zinc and that excessive use of the cream could result in serious health effects.

Tags: Denture Adhesive, Denture Cream, Fixodent, GlaxoSmithKline, Poligrip, Proctor and Gamble, Super Poligrip, Zinc Poisoning
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14 Comments

  1. Margaret

    I have a numb leg and the doctor’s didn’t know what it was from? I have been using denture cream since I was 15 on a top partial and I am 67 now. I’ve been having trouble for about 5 years. Is there a way to reverse this? I didn’t know anything about this zinc poisoning. I’m not sure about being part of a law suit, but it’s probably a done deal anyway.

  2. Micki

    The Super Poligrip Free box and tube says “free of artificial flavors and colors”. It does not say it’s zinc-free. Are they not pulling itoff the shelves because it has the word “Free” on it?

  3. Andee in AZ

    I too have been using Poligrip since I have been at least 25 and am now almost 70. I have had numbness in my right leg for years and doctors have not been able to tell me anything about what is causing it. Now I wonder too. They tell me it is not from a sciatic nerve pinching.

  4. tired66

    You gotta be kidding.Putting that much zinc in a product knowing the side effects.Just for the holy dollar profit!!UNBELIEVABLE.Buy american and still get zinc poisoning!Might as well give China the contract.Then we would know it was poisoned! USA has gotta do better to their citizens!

  5. Marcia

    The cream has been the targetted product, does this include the powder as well?

  6. James

    I stopped using Super PolyGrip when this whole thing started and changed to Super PolyGrip with the word “Free” on the tube. On close examination there was nothing on the tube that said “Zinc Free”. My numbness continues. Is this new PolyGrip marked Free really free of zinc? Please advise! JGF

  7. Mari

    I am suffering from severe neurological problems i.e am now in a wheelchair & after extensive tests cannot find the cause. I have been using polygrip for 15yrs. I am now going to be tested for zinc poisoning. What I do not understand is why this information has NOT been made public. I stumbled upon this information when trying to find out why I couldn’t find my usual polygrip type. This is sheer negligence on the manufacturers behalf who are obviously fearful of lawsuits. If I indeed test positive they can be sure of my impending lawsuit!!(Scotland)

  8. Audrey

    I just got my dentures almost a year ago. Within the last month or so I started having nerve tingles all over my body out of the blue. I am not sure if this is related but it seems strange that I have these new symptoms with no warning. It feels almost like I have something crawling on me but when I look at my skin there is nothing there and the sensation will run down my leg or arm or wherever it is that I feel it. I stumbled upon this flipping through channels at about 2 am not being able to sleep. Nothing has been publically released in my area either letting us know what is going on.

  9. mary

    I started using Super Polygrip in 2007, three years ago. Since then I have gone to using a walker full time. Doctors cannot find any reason ffor this decline in mobility.

  10. james

    I got my teeth 15 years ago and started using superpoly grip after that I started having things happen Ipayed no attention to what was going on then one day I was at work and almost passed out so I went to the dr and they did test after that down hill my hands tingled feet also and my skin would feel lijke it was crawling and it still dose my hands lock up stiff fingers .

  11. lois

    ive been useing poligrip for 15 years and the left side of my face has been going numb could the poligrip be the cause

  12. John

    I have been using Poli.Grip Denture Adhesive Comfort Strips for some time now but can not find any product specs on the packaging. Do strips contain zinc as well? All articles and comments on the alledged poisonous effects refer only to adhesive creams.

  13. james

    i have used product for 10years AND HAVE NO PROBLEMS people are always trying to money for nothing it is bs i love product and it works great . i want product back on shelves

  14. Sandy

    I have been using super poly grip for about 15 years, I am with James people are full of BS and trying to get money for nothing. If your having problems with the product then don’t use it nobody is breaking your arm to buy it. I also want the product back on the shelf.

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