Glaxo, P&G Breathing Easy -- Denture-Cream Zinc-Poisoning Cases Still Few and Far Between

(MoneyWatch)  GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Procter & Gamble (PG) are on the defensive over the use of zinc in their respective denture fixative brands, Poligrip and Fixodent. But they may have less to worry about than previously thought, as an expected tidal wave of lawsuits has so far been just a trickle.

Both companies have been sued by consumers who claim that zinc in the denture creams has caused nerve damage, but they have used different tactics to deal with the claims. The suits have been boosted by a study of neurological disorders caused by zinc-based denture cream in the journal Neurology.

In response, GSK announced it would stop making Poligrip with zinc. In Japan, the company recalled its products.

P&G, by contrast, added a warning to its web site but didn't alter its product formula. It argues that the amount of zinc in Fixodent is so small it's "less than the amount of zinc in most daily multi-vitamins and comparable to six ounces of ground beef." P&G's position is that consumers who have been poisoned have been using excessive amounts of the stuff. (Its warning says, "You are using too much if product oozes after inserting dentures.")

Last year, plaintiffs attorneys said they were looking at thousands of cases against the companies. There was every reason to believe the cases could be a major headache: generations of Americans have used denture cream for decades, all in the same way. If they were poisoned and GSK or P&G should have known that was a risk, settlements and verdicts could have been huge.

But according to the federal court system's database, only about 80 cases have been filed since last June when a Florida federal court began handling the multi-district litigation.

Related:

• GlaxoSmithKline Target of Claims That Denture Cream Causes Neurological Problems