GlaxoKlineSmith plans to remove zinc from certain Super Poligrip products, The New York Times reports. The product lines include Super Poligrip Original, Super Poligrip Ultrafresh, and Super Poligrip Extra Care. An estimated 3.5 million households use these products yearly. Glaxo will continue to sell its Super Poligrip Free, which doesn't contain zinc. This comes at a troubling time for the UK-based pharmaceutical giant. Glaxo's Avandia is under heavy scrutiny for its link to heart-attack deaths. Also, on February 18th the FDA issued new guidance measures urging physicians to switch asthma patients away from medicines like Glaxo's Advair because of the possibility that the asthma medication actually worsens asthma conditions long-term. Investors are even starting to take notice of Glaxo's mounting problems with patient safety, with its stock sliding despite a $2.6 billion dollar profit last quarter alone.

The voluntary recall comes after a University of Texas research study in 2008 found that users of denture cream with zinc had excess levels of zinc in their blood. A high zinc concentration in a person's blood over several years can lead to zinc toxicity and significant neurological problems. Interestingly, GlaxoSmithKline only began disclosing the zinc in their denture creams after the University of Texas' study was published in the medical journal Neurology, but gave no specific warnings to consumers.

Glaxo issued a statement on their website on February 18, 2019, regarding their voluntary, precautionary recall claiming that health problems only occur when consumers use more than the directed amount of denture cream. However, this statement is wholly inadequate. First, there were no appropriate, specific warnings to consumers about the possible dangers of developing zinc toxicity by using excess denture adhesives containing zinc. Second, it seems fundamental that the company would have to consider that many consumers use denture creams with zinc while taking other supplements containing zinc --- easily contributing to consumers developing above-average levels of zinc over time. There is no question that zinc is an important part of our diet. However, Glaxo's official stance that increased zinc intake stems only from consumers who misuse their product is laughable. In reality, it's the company's lack of foresight or common sense that has brought upon another major health concern over one of its consumer products.