Official response to breast scandal was ‘inadequate’

THE response of the Government and a health regulator to the PIP breast implants scandal was “inadequate”, MPs have said.

The Commons Health Committee pointed to a more than 20-month delay between a safety alert over the potentially faulty implants and “urgent action” to gather evidence and communicate with affected women.

Around 47,000 British women are now believed to have been given the implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP). They were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses and have been linked to rupture and swelling in the body.

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MPs criticised the actions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and questioned the Government’s response.

The MHRA issued an alert in March 2010 telling surgeons they should stop using PIP implants – the CE mark for PIP implants had been withdrawn following concerns raised in France.

But such alerts only cover the NHS and not the private clinics, who used the vast majority of PIP implants.

“There needs to be a more reliable method of communicating Medical Device Alerts to the private sector, that requires a positive response that the instruction has been received and acted upon in the same way as in the NHS,” the report said. “Using the professional associations as channels of communication will not cover all surgeons.”

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