MASSDEVICE ON CALL — British officials launched an investigation into breast implants made by former French device maker Poly Implant Prothese.
U.K. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley ordered an urgent safety review of the silicon implants to determine the risks they pose to women.
The PIP implants contain a non-authorized silicone gel, which the French Society of Plastic Surgeons found to have a higher rupture rate than implants with approved gels. Roughly 40,000 British women have the PIP implants, according to the Washington Post.
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"I want to reassure women that if any new data comes to light which calls into question the safety of these implants, we will act swiftly to help them," Lansley told the newspaper. "Our top priority is making sure that women get the correct advice so that they are kept safe."
French authorities started a criminal investigation of Poly Implant Prothese after receiving 2,000 complains from women who received the PIP implants, according to Le Monde.
Authorities said that while 8 cases of cancer have been reported in patients with PIP implants, those cases were not necessarily linked with the implants.
French surgeons have removed 523 implants since the defect was discovered.
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