Fw: New Bill Calls for More Breast Implant Research

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----- Original Message ----- From: Toxic News & Views

Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 1:15 PM

Subject: New Bill Calls for More Breast Implant Research

http://womenshealth.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/05/05.25/20010524legi004.html

New Bill Calls for More Breast Implant Research

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) May 24 - New legislation introduced Thursday on Capitol Hill calls on the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to step up research into the possible negative health effects of breast implants. In a 1999 study, the Institute of Medicine found no reliable evidence linking silicone breast implants to systemic autoimmune diseases. The report said that local pain, scarring, and other nonsystemic complications are the primary concerns with the implants. But supporters of the new legislation said that the IOM report focused on women who had had implants for too short a time to tell if they really suffered negative health effects. They pointed to three new epidemiologic studies, one of which found an increased incidence of lung and other cancers in 13,000 women who had either silicone or saline implants. "We can't draw conclusions from these studies, but they are a wake-up call," Dr. Zuckerman, the president of the National Center for Policy Research for Women and Families, said in an interview with Reuters Health. An estimated 2 to 3 million women have received the implants, including some 300,000 last year, Dr. Zuckerman said. The bill orders the National Institutes of Health to intensify research into the health implications of implants, and mandates that the Food and Drug Administration step up its efforts to disseminate accurate information about implants to consumers. It also bolsters FDA's postmarket review of saline implants currently on the market. "These implants have never been proven safe and effective," said Rep. Gene Green (D-Tex.), a sponsor of the legislation. The bill offers no new money to NIH or FDA for fulfilling the mandates. Supporters said that record funding levels expected from Congress for NIH this year would allow for the changes with no increase in dollars. "I think the NIH budget can easily accommodate this," said co-sponsor Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the House Deputy Minority Whip.