French government urged 30,000 women in removal of defective breast implants

The government said public healthcare funds would be used to finance theremovals, which were recommended because of the risk of ruptures that couldcause inflammation and irritation, at a cost which health officials estimatedat 60 million euros.

Around 30,000 women in France have hadbreast implants made by the company Poly Implant Prothese SA (PIP), which isaccused of using industrial-grade silicone normally used in anything fromcomputers to cookware.

PIP, founded by one-time butcherJean-Claude Mas, produced about 100,000 implants a year before its productswere ordered off the market in early 2010.

As many as 300,000 women worldwide mayhave received PIP implants,which were exported to Latin American countries such as Brazil and Argentina,and Western European markets such as Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Britain said on Friday it was notfollowing the French recommendation and played down any cancer risks.

France has had reports of eight cases ofcancer in women with breast implants made by PIP, but health officials stressedat a news conference that the product was not suspected of increasing cancer risk.

A health ministry statement said advice from medical experts showed that:"There is as of now no increased risk of cancer for women using implantsof the PIP brand versus other implants."

The statement addressed to French womensaid new implants would be paid from public funds in cases where the initialimplant was inserted for medical reasons, typically for reconstruction after breast cancertreatments.

Associations representing women with PIP implants have been demanding thatall replacements, including cases of implants that were purely cosmetic, bepublicly funded.
"This announcement is just a smokescreen and the victims of PIP areangry," said Alexandra Blachere, head of the association of PIP implantusers in France. "PIP implants are dangerous even excluding cancer. Thestate can't simply order them to be removed and then leave women to get by afterwards."
Philippe Courtois, a lawyer for a French association of PIP implant users,gave a cautious welcome to Friday's government announcement, saying: "It'sa common sense decision even if it unfortunately comes a bit late."

CHEAP SILICONE

PIP was placed into liquidation in March2010 with losses of 9 million euros after the French medical safety agency,AFSSAPS, recalled its implants when surgeons reported abnormally high rupturerates.

During a subsequent inspection of itsmanufacturing site, officials found PIP was using a type of silicone that wasnot approved by health authorities, but was about 10 times cheaper.

An investigation found a majority ofimplants made by PIP since 2001 contained the unapproved gel.

A spokesman for the German company TUVRheinland which provided quality certification of PIP's production facilitiesuntil March 2010 said its remit was to check the production process not thecontent of the silicone.

TÜV Rheinland sued PIP in February 2011,claiming it was "thoroughly and continuously misled" by PIP about achange in the silicone that was used.

Authorities in Britain, where women usingPIP implants have also announced a court case, also played down any cancerrisk.

"Women with PIP implants should notbe unduly worried. We have no evidence of a link to cancer or an increased riskof rupture. If women are concerned they should speak to their surgeon,"British Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies said.

More than 2,000 women in France have filed legal complaints and another 250women have recently done likewise in Britain, where the authorities havestopped short of recommending implant removals and sought to reassure on cancerrisks too on Friday.
Several as yet unidentified executives of the company founded by Mas, areexpected to face charges of aggravated fraud in an ongoing court case inFrance, which exposes them to possible sentences of up to five years in prison.A French judicial inquiry tends to be extremely protracted and often highlysecretive affairs.

The PIP scandal was rekindled in recentweeks by the death of a cancer victim who had such implants, promptingprosecutors to open another preliminary inquiry that will assess whether thereare grounds for more serious charges of involuntary manslaughter.