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Breast Enhancement Fears

  • January 10th, 2012
  • Posted by EUEditor

breast-implants-vastmedia.jpgChange is in the offing, in the breast enhancement field, with action by the French government over the PIP company products, and with new control measures coming under consideration in Brussels.

breast-implant-globalpost.jpgFrench authorities forced the closure of the company making implants in 2010, after it was found to be using an industrial grade of silicone, instead of approved medical grade, with signs of a higher risk of rupture of the implants.

They have now recommended removal of some 30000 implants in France alone, and Jean-Claude Mas, 72, founder of the firm, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), has come under police investigation.

breaast-implants-pip.jpgThe governments of the Czech Republic and Germany have joined in, with similar warnings to those issued in France.

The United Kingdom and Australia have both advised the indications of danger are not immediate or sufficient to warrant removal, at this time.

The Australian Attorney General, Nicola Roxon, said different countries applied different standards to the breast enhancement process, with in Australia, certain regulations applied “on the way through.”

A proposal to regulate the use of breast implants is being prepared for consideration by a Council of European Ministers this year, which would impose testing and surveillance on their use.

The devices are as yet only subject to certification , much less strict than medical standards applied to drugs.

Guido Rasi, the head of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which oversees drugs regulation across Europe, has entered the debate, according to Reuters.

“I see an urgent need to regulate devices at the same level of science and attention as with drugs,” he said in London.

Hundreds of thousands of women in some 65 countries are using implants for breast enhancement, usually for cosmetic purposes, sometimes in response to medical advice.

Reference

Kim Wilsher, “French breast implant firm boss unrepentant over unauthorised silicone”, The Guardian, Manchester, 6.1.12. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/06/french-breast-implant-firm-boss-unrepentant, (9.1.12).

Ben Hirschler, “Exclusive: EU medicines head urges tougher implant rules”, Reuters, London, 6.1.12. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/06/us-breastimplants-ema-idUSTRE8050VL20120106, (9.1.12).


Pictures

Vastmedia.org, globalpost