Breast implant boss sought by Interpol
Interpol is seeking the arrest of the boss of a French company whose breast implants are at the centre of an international health scare.
Jean-Claude Mas, 72, is wanted by Costa Rican authorities for crimes involving “life and health”, according to the international police agency’s website.
Interpol, which is based in France, issued a so-called red notice for Mr Mas, who ran Poly Implant Protheses (PIP), which is in liquidation.
France has offered to pay for 30,000 women to have their PIP implants removed because of the risk the products could rupture and leak industrial-grade silicone.
But the Department of Health said it was not following the French advice as there was no evidence to support it.
Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies said: “Women with PIP implants should not be unduly worried. We have no evidence of a link to cancer or an increased risk of rupture.
“If women are concerned, they should speak to their surgeon. I will be writing to GPs so that they are aware of the concerns women may have and can talk them through with their patients.
“While we respect the French government’s decision, no other country is taking similar steps because we currently have no evidence to support it.
“Because of this, and because removing these implants carries risk in itself, we are not advising routine removal of these implants.”
In the absence of strong clear evidence to the contrary, we see no reason to alter our current advice that there is no need to routinely remove these PIP breast implants. MHRA
Health experts will continue to examine any further evidence from France and across the world on the issue and the Government will keep the situation under close review, she added.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) pointed out that there was no evidence of any disproportionate rupture rates other than in France.
A spokesman said: “We therefore do not believe that the associated risks of surgery from breast implant removal can be justified without further evidence.
“We will continue liaising with the French medicines and medical devices regulator and we are awaiting the evidence to support the decision made in France.
“This will be evaluated as a matter of priority by our clinical and toxicological experts and we will issue further advice if necessary.
“In the absence of strong clear evidence to the contrary, we see no reason to alter our current advice that there is no need to routinely remove these PIP breast implants.”
The implants are filled with an unapproved non-medical grade silicone believed to be made for mattresses and there have been reports that the protective barriers are faulty.
French advice ‘not unreasonable’
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) took a different stance from the government and said it considered the French advice “not unreasonable”.
BAAPS president Fazel Fatah said: “If women are concerned or experience adverse symptoms they should see their surgeon, to discuss options such as having a scan to determine whether there is any weakening or rupture. If there is, we reiterate our previous recommendations – to have both implants removed.”
Figures from the MHRA suggest 84,300 PIP implants have been sold in the UK since 2001.
Based on the assumption that each woman has two implants, at least 42,000 women in the UK could be affected, according to the regulator.
But the figure could be higher because women undergoing breast reconstructive surgery following cancer may only have had one implant.