Breast implant problems spark deluge of legal cases

Faulty Breast Implants Claims

Women across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the rest of the world are seeking legal assistance after a spate of problems with breast implants, many of which have been found to be defective and potentially cancerous.

A French manufacturer of breast implants, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), has been shut down after it was found to be using an unauthorised silicone gel in its products.

The silicone gel being used by PIP has been found to rupture more frequently than authorised gel implants, and the problems with PIP implants have been linked with cases of cancer in eight patients.

The police in France have opened an investigation into PIP, and the French government has responded to the furore by offering to pay for 30,000 women to have their implants removed.

PIP implants have been distributed worldwide and women who have undergone breast augmentation in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are now facing an anxious time as they weigh up the options available to them to avoid suffering harm from an implant rupture.

As many as 50,000 women in Britain are thought to have been given PIP implants, and many have already experienced problems with rupturing. A number of cancer cases in the UK have also been linked to PIP implants.

The response to the breast implant crisis from various medical associations around the world has been mixed. Some British doctors have urged anyone with PIP implants to have them removed for “peace of mind”, while the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says none of the evidence into possible links with cancer supports removal as the best option.

Breast Implant Recall

By failing to ensure the safety of its products, PIP has caused considerable harm to many of its patients. The amount of compensation that victims could be eligible to receive in a no win no fee claim against PIP could escalate into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

If you’ve undergone breast implant or resurfacing surgery since 2003, you could well be entitled to compensation. For expert advice on how to claim, contact us immediately on:

FREEPHONE 0800 567 7866

Alternatively, you can fill in the contact form to the right to request a free call back.

Consult Your GP

Douglas McGeorge, of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, told Canada.com that the implants had a “high failure rate”.

“Being sensible, if women were worried they should find out what implant they have, and if they have a PIP they should have a scan to find out if they are intact,” he said.

“I would hope that those clinics which implanted the PIPs would look after their patients and take them out at cost if women are worried. I would probably get them changed for peace of mind.”

Meanwhile, the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons has poured cold water on the simmering fears of an estimated 4,500 women carrying PIP implants. Society spokesman Graham Sellars told women that there was no need to panic and undergo removal surgery, which carries its own risks.

He recommended that women consult their GP or the surgeon who carried out their surgery to get a clear picture of whether or not removal surgery was necessary. He also called for women to consider adding their names to a national breast implant register, to help doctors in their attempts to ascertain a link between all implants and a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

The owners of PIP could face a deluge of personal injury claims as tens of thousands of women around the world seek compensation for the suffering caused by what might be viewed by the courts as medical negligence on behalf of PIP.

By failing to ensure the safety of its products, PIP has caused considerable harm to many of its patients. The amount of compensation that victims could be eligible to receive in a no win no fee claim against PIP could escalate into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The world is awaiting developments in this story with baited breath, and a committee formed by the French government are due to meet to discuss the issue.

A French health ministry spokesman said: “If the recommendations tell us that at this stage there are no proven risks, we will leave it there. If they tell us that as a precautionary measure it would be better to explant women, we'll do it too.”

Dr Laurent Lantieri, a plastic surgeon on the committee, told Liberation magazine: “We have to remove all these implants. We're facing a health crisis, linked to a fraud.”

Valerie Pecresse, a government spokesman, said: “We must proceed by identifying the women who had these implants and who are potentially in danger. It is urgent for all women who have PIP implants to return to their surgeons.”

We can help

If you’ve undergone faulty breast implants and have been suffering from any complications or are concerned about health implications as a result, then you could be entitled to make a claim for Faulty Breast Implants. Because there are TIME LIMITS in place for bringing a claim, we advise you to contact us immediately on FREEPHONE 0800 567 7866.

Request a FREE CALL BACK by filling in the form to the right, and one of our expert advisors will contact you (without obligation) to discuss the matter further at your preferred time.

No Win No Fee arrangements may be available depending on your case.

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