To keep pace with breaking news in Europe’s ever-evolving PIP Breast Implant scandal, Plastic Surgery Practice will now provide a weekly round-up of the top PIP stories.
German Gov’t: TiBREEZE Implants Must Be Removed
This week, the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery was informed by the German authorities at the BfArM Institute that the former company, GfE Medizintechnik GmbH, sold implants that were manufactured using Poly Implant Prothèse ( PIP) industrial grade silicone gel.
From September 2003 to August 2004, these implants were sold under the name TiBREEZE. As result, German authorities at the BfArM Institute now state that TiBREEZE implants should also be removed even in the absence of symptoms. They had previously stated that PIP and Medro Implants, which were manufactured in the Netherlands, be removed ASAP.
It is estimated that 728 TiBREEZE implants may be tainted. Most of those implants were sold in Germany to about 280 patients. In addition, TiBREEZE implants were delivered to Belgium, Italy, Finland, South Africa, Switzerland, England, Austria and Lichtenstein. A total of 400 patients worldwide may be affected.
PIP Execs Arrested in France
In other PIP news, French police arrested two top former PIP executives. Founder Jean-Claude Mas and Claude Couty were detained in France, according to media reports.
