Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implant Tied to Rare Cancer

Matthew Perrone, AP for ABC Action News; July 24, 2019


WASHINGTON (AP) — Breast implant maker Allergan Inc. issued a worldwide recall Wednesday for textured models because of a link to a rare form of cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it called for the removal after new information showed Allergan’s Biocell breast implants with a textured surface account for a disproportionate share of rare lymphoma cases. The move follows similar action in France, Australia and Canada.

The FDA is not recommending women with the implants have them removed if they are not experiencing problems.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Breast implant maker Allergan Inc. issued a worldwide recall Wednesday for textured models because of a link to a rare form of cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it called for the removal after new information showed Allergan’s Biocell breast implants with a textured surface account for a disproportionate share of rare lymphoma cases. The move follows similar action in France, Australia and Canada.

The FDA is not recommending women with the implants have them removed if they are not experiencing problems.

[…]

The FDA said the latest figures show more than 80 percent of the 570 confirmed cases of the lymphoma worldwide have been linked to Allergan implants. The updated figures reflect 116 new cases of the cancer since the FDA last released figures earlier this year.

The new numbers still reflect a rare disease considering an estimated 10 million women globally have breast implants.

There is no firm agreement on the exact frequency of the disease, known as breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Published estimates ranging from 1 in 3,000 patients to 1 in 30,000 patients.

Diana Zuckerman, a researcher who has studied breast implant safety, called the removal of the devices inevitable.

“Either the company would voluntarily decide to withdraw them from the market to protect from lawsuits, or the FDA would persuade Allergan to do so,” Zuckerman said in an email.

Read the full story here.