DALLAS - After GlaxoSmithKline's recent announcement to halt production of Super PoliGrip with zinc, the product is now being recalled in Japan.
Zinc, an ingredient in Super PoliGrip has been linked to serious nerve damage called neuropathy.
A spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline said they have issued the voluntary recall in Japan, claiming the reason why it hasn't been recalled anywhere else is because the product is safe to use as directed.
GlaxoSmithKline recently posted a video to its web site teaching consumers how to use denture adhesive safely.
"Do not apply more than once a day without your dentist's advice," the video warns.
The company now admits consumers with poorly fitting false teeth often use too much, too often - swallowing the excess cream that oozes out. The body then absorbs the zinc.
"Six years ago, I woke up and I couldn't walk," said Sherry Mosley, who regularly used Super PoliGrip. "My feet burned so bad and hurt."
Following a WFAA report with Mosley last year, GlaxoSmithKline admitted it received about 400 reports from other longtime denture cream users, all suffering from neuropathy.
The company has promised to reformulate Super PoliGrip to make it zinc-free. Store shelves will not be restocked with product that's already been manufactured.
The company also mailed out a letter to about 200,000 doctors and dentists nationwide. It alerted health professionals to the potential health risk of denture adhesives and zinc poisoning and urged them to assess and report possible cases.
For the first time, GlaxoSmithKline has provided the phone number 866-640-1017 to report possible denture paste poisoning cases.
E-mail: jstjames@wfaa.com
