subject: GSK Agreed to Denture Cream Lawsuit Settlements in 2010 [print this page] GSK Agreed to Denture Cream Lawsuit Settlements in 2010
With attention focused on the bellwether denture cream multidistrict litigation (MDL) case scheduled to begin in June, many might have forgotten that GlaxoSmithKline last year agreed to a denture cream lawsuit settlement with a number of plaintiffs who claimed to have been injured by Poligrip.
In July 2010 it was reported that Poligrip settlements had been reached with at least one law firm. This was confirmed by GSK's second quarter earnings report, issued on July 21, 2010. In it, the pharmaceutical company states that, "With respect to the Poligrip product liability litigation, [GSK] has reached agreement in principle to settle the vast majority of cases."
While the number of Poligrip lawsuits settled and the amount they were settled for were not disclosed in court documents, on July 27 the Florida federal judge overseeing denture cream MDL created a qualified settlement fund for Poligrip plaintiffs represented by one New York law firm. Participants in that settlement fund had the choice of a structured settlement or a fast-track lump sum.
In June 2009 MDL was established for all federal denture cream lawsuits filed against GSK and also Procter & Gamble, the company that makes Fixodent. All of the cases similarly allege that the zinc contained in denture cream caused plaintiffs to suffer neurologic injury and that the manufacturers neither named zinc as a product ingredient nor warned of its dangers.
A 2008 study established a causal link between denture cream zinc and neuropathy, a condition that affects the peripheral nervous system and causes such side effects as numbness in the extremities, weakness, poor balance, paralysis, and in at least one case, death. While this research provided the impetus for the hundreds of denture cream lawsuits that have since been filed, GSK states that it has been defending Poligrip product liability lawsuits since 2005.
The remaining federal denture cream lawsuits against GSK and P&G could be settled by the end of the year, with a bellwether Fixodent lawsuit against Procter & Gamble scheduled to begin on June 6. There is a chance this and other cases will not go to trial, however, as the judge overseeing denture cream MDL ordered the parties to try to resolve their differences out of court by March 28 through an alternative dispute resolution process known as mediation.
As soon as news breaks on the status of the impending denture cream MDL, the Rottenstein Law Group will provide more information. Currently, RLG is providing complimentary denture cream case reviews, so don't miss out on the chance to have your claim reviewed for free by a lawyer with more than 25 years of experience in product liability law. If you believe you or a family member suffered neurological damage caused by Fixodent or Poligrip, let RLG help you obtain compensation for your losses through a denture cream lawsuit settlement.
