Health secretary Andrew Lansley says new data has emerged that may impact the 40,000 British women who were fitted with the implants.
The French government has already advised the 30,000 women who bought Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) to have them removed because of concerns that the implants might rupture.
Britain is still insisting that women here should not be worried, but today the government ordered an investigation to look into the newly emerged data.
“We’ve seen conflicting evidence and, in particular, yesterday we received information from one of the large private providers of cosmetic surgery that said they now had data that they had not previously disclosed to the regulator,” said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
“I’m concerned and unhappy about the consistency and quality of data that has been provided…If there are any safety concerns, we will act.”
We’ve seen conflicting evidence and, in particular, yesterday we received information from one of the large private providers of cosmetic surgery that said they now had data that they had not previously disclosed to the regulator. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
The NHS medical director, Bruce Keogh, will lead the review and is expected to report his findings early next week.The review will examine global data, as well as investigating the regulation and safety of private cosmetic surgery in Britain.
The lawyer acting for PIP said on Tuesday that the majority of implants sold by the French firm since 1991 were produced using a silicone that was not approved by French health authorities.
PIP was once the third biggest breast implant maker in the world, but it went bankrupt in 2010 after it was revealed that the company was using a cheaper, unapproved industrial-grade silicone in some of its products.
A homicide investigation was launched earlier this month after a French woman who had PIP implants died in 2010.