Suspect breast implants exported to China
By Wang Qingchu and Cai Wenjun |
January 6, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MORE than 900 breast implants linked to a cancer scare were exported to China, it has been revealed.
A total of 912 implants made by the now-defunct French firm Poly Implant Prothese came into the country, the State Food and Drug Administration said but, so far, there had been no reports of problems.
Of the total, 761 had been sold, the administration said after launching an investigation into the Chinese firm which dealt in the substandard implants said to have an unusually high rupture rate and possible links to cancer.
Shenzhen-based Weienjie Co Ltd has been ordered to stop selling the silicone gel implants made by the French firm that went bankrupt in 2010 after French health authorities shut it down.
The administration has asked Weienjie to provide sales records so that it can track down customers in the event of reports of any adverse reactions.
Shanghai's Food and Drug Administration said there were no reports of the implants being used in the city but it was keeping a close eye on the situation as it developed.
Surgically removed
Fears over the safety of the implants spread to Australia, South America and across Europe after French officials advised thousands of women to have their implants surgically removed.
About 300,000 PIP implants, used in cosmetic surgery to enhance breast size or replace lost breast tissue, were sold worldwide before PIP went bust.
An investigation found PIP was using industrial grade silicone and not the medical kind approved by health authorities.
Plastic surgeons in Shanghai said local hospitals usually used implants imported from the United States or domestic brands and said that international studies had shown that qualified silicone gel implants were safe to use.
"We usually use US imported silicone gel implants for their good quality, and the raw materials for domestic implants are also usually from the United States," said Liu Tianyi, director of Huadong Hospital's plastic surgery department.
"PIP never received a high credit in the domestic health industry. Big hospitals don't use its products," he said.
He added: "Silicone gel implants are highly recommended for clinical practices for their good results and a widescale US-run research program years ago confirmed they didn't increase the risk of breast cancer and other breast diseases."
A total of 912 implants made by the now-defunct French firm Poly Implant Prothese came into the country, the State Food and Drug Administration said but, so far, there had been no reports of problems.
Of the total, 761 had been sold, the administration said after launching an investigation into the Chinese firm which dealt in the substandard implants said to have an unusually high rupture rate and possible links to cancer.
Shenzhen-based Weienjie Co Ltd has been ordered to stop selling the silicone gel implants made by the French firm that went bankrupt in 2010 after French health authorities shut it down.
The administration has asked Weienjie to provide sales records so that it can track down customers in the event of reports of any adverse reactions.
Shanghai's Food and Drug Administration said there were no reports of the implants being used in the city but it was keeping a close eye on the situation as it developed.
Surgically removed
Fears over the safety of the implants spread to Australia, South America and across Europe after French officials advised thousands of women to have their implants surgically removed.
About 300,000 PIP implants, used in cosmetic surgery to enhance breast size or replace lost breast tissue, were sold worldwide before PIP went bust.
An investigation found PIP was using industrial grade silicone and not the medical kind approved by health authorities.
Plastic surgeons in Shanghai said local hospitals usually used implants imported from the United States or domestic brands and said that international studies had shown that qualified silicone gel implants were safe to use.
"We usually use US imported silicone gel implants for their good quality, and the raw materials for domestic implants are also usually from the United States," said Liu Tianyi, director of Huadong Hospital's plastic surgery department.
"PIP never received a high credit in the domestic health industry. Big hospitals don't use its products," he said.
He added: "Silicone gel implants are highly recommended for clinical practices for their good results and a widescale US-run research program years ago confirmed they didn't increase the risk of breast cancer and other breast diseases."
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