Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

The founder of a French company which manufactured faulty breast implants has been arrested by police.

Jean-Claude Mas was woken by officers at this morning at his partner’s house in the south of France.

Mr Mas’ company, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), was responsible for the production of breast implants containing non-medical grade silicone. The company was shut down in 2010 after it came to light that implants had instead contained industrial-grade silicone.

According to a report by The Guardian newspaper, a deputy chief executive of the company was also arrested, along with the 72-year-old. They can now be questioned by police for 48 hours.

The implants were given to an estimated 400,000 women around the world. News that they contained substandard silicone led to widespread concern at the end of 2011 following the French government’s decision to advise 30,000 affected women to have them removed.

More than 40,000 women in the UK had PIP implants fitted. However, a review by an expert panel, led by NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, concluded earlier this month that no evidence had been found to suggest PIP implants should be routinely removed.

If you are a patient of The Harley Medical Group and you have concerns about PIP, please visit our dedicated PIP information page.

Statement from Sally Taber, Director of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) in response to the Ministerial Statement by the Right Honourable Andrew Lansley MP, Secretary of State for Health

IHAS, which represents the majority of healthcare providers affected by the MHRA failure to detect the faulty PIP implants, welcomed much of the Secretary of State’s announcement.

Whilst the intention of the Health Secretary was to offer guidance, patients are feeling more confused and anxious now than ever before. With current Government position remaining unclear, patients want to know the timeline for the further investigations into PIP implants by the MHRA.

There is need for clarity on how patients can access scans and ensuring that all GPs are authorised to order scans.

Despite the private sector requesting a meeting with the Department of Health since Friday 6th January, the public and private sector have yet to meet and agree a deliverable solution. Our members have stepped forward to give all the assistance they can to the Expert Panel. We are yet to see comprehensive data from the NHS private patient units.

Members of IHAS are as much a victim of this fraud as the NHS and the patients. We all trusted the standards regulator, the MHRA, and the Department of Health.

If there is any moral or ethical obligation outstanding it lies with the Government’s regulatory agency, the MHRA. But the overriding issue here is that it is in everyone’s interest to work together to ensure that patients are treated with compassion.

The IHAS welcomes the intention for CQC to carry out unannounced inspections of independent providers. All our members comply with the CQC guidance framework and are registered by the CQC.
Notice to Editors

IHAS is a trade body of the independent acute healthcare sector and counts among its Members all the largest independent healthcare providers and many of the medium sized ones. Its remit is to facilitate better regulation and improved quality standards among its members, many of whom are leaders in their field of speciality. IHAS has, at government instance, established The IHAS Register of Injectable Cosmetic Providers, an industry standard-setting Register of providers of injectable cosmetics including Botox ® and dermal fillers called Treatments you can Trust. It published, at the request of the GMC, Good Medical Practice in Cosmetic Surgery, which sets standards for organisations

http://www.independenthealthcare.org.uk/

Dr Hilary Jones, known for his regular appearances on ITV’s morning television programmes, has revealed his personal views on PIP implants.

According to online publication Cosmetic News, Dr Jones said private clinics should not be held responsible for providing patients with the implants which were used “in good faith”.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said last week that following a review of evidence by medical experts, no link had been found between PIP implants and cancer. He also said there was not enough evidence to recommend the routine removal of the implants.

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The NHS in Wales will remove and replace PIP breast implants for all women who have been clinically assessed as needing this surgery.

Any patient looking to have their PIP implants on the NHS in Wales removed will need to provide evidence that they are a Welsh resident and registered with a GP in Wales. This announcement was made on Tuesday (10) following an announcement on Friday (6) that women who had PIP implants on the NHS originally would be eligible for removal and replacement if in critical need, and removal only for private patients.

It is thought that the number of women in Wales who have been affected is relatively low.

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “We announced last week that the NHS in Wales will remove PIP implants if, informed by an assessment of clinical need, a woman with her doctor decides that it is right to do so.

“We said then that we would replace implants which were put in by the NHS, and today we are going one step further by announcing we will also replace those which were put in privately.

“Removing the implants and not replacing them could result in unsightly scarring, loose skin, and potentially the accumulation of fluids, need for drainage, and risk of infection. Putting women through two separate operations also increases unnecessarily the risk of complication.”

Yesterday (Sunday) the Health Ministry in Israel, along with the Israeli Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery (ISPAS) announced it would not be recommending the wholesale replacement of PIP breast implants.

In support of the decision, the chairman of the ISPAS said: “According to the data that has been accumulated, there is no order to replace the implants and they represent no danger, so long as no leakage has been proven.”

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Some women with French-made PIP breast implants remain confused following new advice from the British government, according to a report in the New York Times.

The UK’s health secretary Andrew Lansley said on Friday that following a review, no evidence had been gathered to support the routine removal of PIP implants which were given to an estimated 40,000 women in Britain.

Announcing the findings of the review panel, headed by NHS medical director Professor Bruce Keogh, Mr Lansley also said no evidence had been found to link the implants with a cancer risk due to the materials used.

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The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia has responded to speculation on health concerns surrounding Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implants, saying there is no evidence to suggest increased risks to health.

A panel of experts from the TGA met yesterday to discuss the implications for women who have had such implants and agreed that there was no evidence to support a greater rupture rate in PIP implants compared to other breast implants. In addition they found that there was no adverse effect caused by the chemicals used to make them.

TGA national manager Rohan Hammett said: “There is no evidence of cancer-forming chemicals in the implants and there have been no reports to the TGA of the rare cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, associated with PIP implants in Australia.”

“The best available expert clinical advice is that there is no current evidence in Australia to support removal of PIP implants in women in whom the implant has not ruptured.”

Further reports on PIP are expected to be published in the coming days.

The Independent Healthcare Advisory Services urges the government to conduct a thorough evidence based audit as it welcomes the review on pip implants.