Two more lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. against Procter & Gamble on behalf of two women diagnosed with copper deficient neuropathy they attribute to their use of Fixodent denture adhesive cream.
According to their complaints, Faye Hobson, 45, of North Carolina and Barbara Sue Mendenhall, 58, of Missouri received dentures years ago, and both used Fixodent denture cream. Their lawsuits allege that, as a result of using Fixodent, they now suffer from "profound and permanent neurological injuries" that have left them unable to perform their normal, customary, and daily activities.
The lawsuits, filed by law firm Parker Waichman Alonso, maintain that Procter & Gamble failed to provide adequate warnings about the zinc in Fixodent or adequate instructions to prevent deviation from accepted use. In 2008, the journal Neurology reported on four patients suffering from neuropathy and other neurological symptoms typical of zinc poisoning and copper depletion (August 26, 2008, Vol. 71:9, pp. 639-643). It was determined that excess use of denture cream could have been responsible for their symptoms.
In March of this year, Procter & Gamble began to include a caution on its website regarding the health risks posed by excessive exposure to zinc in Fixodent denture cream. However, Fixodent remains on store shelves. Procter & Gamble's main competitor in the denture adhesive market, GlaxoSmithKline, recently decided to cease marketing its zinc-containing adhesives.
These lawsuits, along with dozens of others filed before them, have been consolidated for pretrial proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division.
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