The drugmaker got a grip - on a problem that prompted lawsuits around the country. GlaxoSmithKline is now warning consumers about denture creams that contain zinc, and the drugmaker is taking “voluntary, precautionary” steps to end manufacturing and supplying denture adhesives that contain zinc due to “health risks associated with long-term excessive use,” according to a statement.

Glaxo continues to maintain its products are safe if used as directed and so a recall isn’t under way. Attorneys for some of those who believe they have been harmed have argued there was no warning for people who apply excessive denture cream to hold ill-fitting dentures, and this can cause problems as severe as a loss of feeling in the limbs (background here). Lawsuits have also been filed against Procter & Gamble, which sells Fixodent.

Glaxo has made Poligrip with zinc since 1996 and until last year received around 400 reports of nonspecific neurological symptoms associated with use of the products, according to The Wall Street Journal, adding this was out of a total of 8.5 million users world-wide.

A 2008 study in Neurology study found that dental creams may be the source of “excess zinc” in patients. High doses of zinc, the study said, cause copper deficiency, which has been linked to nerve damage for about a decade. The study indicated regular use of large amounts of adhesive provided several times the recommended daily allowance of zinc, according to the Journal.

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