EP Urges Stricter Breast Implant Safety Checks

The PIP implants had a higher rate of rupture than other implants and there are fears they may cause breast cancer. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The European Parliament has called for a breast implant register and stricter safety checks in a bid to prevent a recurrence of the PIP defective breast implants case.

A breast implant register, more stringent safety checks, improved product traceability, and a pre-market authorization system are among the measures proposed by the European Parliament on Thursday.

In a resolution adopted by a show of hands, MEPs argue that the PIP case "has shown a malfunctioning at European and national levels, notably a lack of cooperation (...), and a lack of traceability of raw material used for medical devices".

EU legislation in this area is to be revised this year.

An estimated 400,000 implants made by the French manufacturer Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) have been sold worldwide.

These implants were widely used in the UK, France, Spain and Germany. However, the number of women who have received them is unknown.

According to unofficial data, tens of thousands of women in some 65 countries across the world, mainly in Western Europe and Latin America, may have been affected by the hazardous product.

The faulty breast implants were imported to Bulgaria too.

By the middle of January this year nearly 150 Bulgarian women rushed to remove potentially faulty silicone breast implants supplied by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) following the example set by the ladies in France.

Bulgarian experts say the French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) is the only one to blame for the adverse effects since after initially meeting the requirements, it started using silicone that was not meant for medical use.

As a result the PIP implants had a higher rate of rupture than other implants and may cause breast cancer.

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