The founder of the French firm that produced the faulty breast implants at the centre of a global health scare has been arrested in the south of France.
Jean-Claude Mas, 72, head of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was taken into police custody just before 7am this morning. Claude Couty, another executive from the French company, closed down in March 2010, was also held.
PIP closed down in March 2010 after regulators discovered it was using a non-medical grade silicone in its implants.
In December, the French government advised 30,000 women to have substandard PIP implants removed following health officials’ warnings they were more likely to rupture than other implants. Mas was defiant, admitting on French radio he had used homemade silicone gel to cut costs.
This gel was not approved for medical use and included a mix of agricultural and industrial grade silicone. Asked about the ingredients used, Mas said only “a chemical product can be used to make lots of things”.
PIP was once one of the world’s largest producers of silicone implants and the repercussions of the implant scandal are sending shockwaves through the cosmetic surgery industry. Not least, with the estimated 40,000 UK woman who have had the implants fitted and are now battling to get surgeons to take them out.
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