Update on silicone breast implants - Message from Dr. Zuckerman

[Guest guest]

>

> Kathynye@... wrote:From: Kathynye@...

> Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 13:39:35 EDT

> Subject: POST: Update on silicone breast implants -

> Message from Dr. Zuckerman

> Kathynye@...

>

> Subj: Update on silicone breast implants

> Date: 5/5/2005 8:16:35 AM Eastern Standard Time

> From: dz@...

>

> Dear Friends,

>

> This is a brief update on the status of silicone

> breast implants.

>

> First, I wanted to let you know that we have added

> new personal stories from women with implants to our

> website:

>

> http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/per_stories.html

>

> We have added links to the entire transcript of the

> April 11-13 FDA advisory meeting, as well as the

> individual testimony from several key experts and

> also from women with implants. (We couldn't include

> all the great testimony that was given, so we tried

> to include some you might not see on other

> websites). On that same page, you can read the

> Congressional report on breast implants that I wrote

> in 1992 -- it is amazing how so many of the issues

> are the same today. You'll have to scroll down to

> find the different sections:

> http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know_3.html

>

> We are continuing to let FDA officials know that

> they should make their decision about silicone gel

> breast implants based on the science -- in this

> case, the lack of long-term scientifically credible

> research on safety. Choice is good as long as you

> can choose a safe product. Unfortunately, that is

> not the case with silicone breast implants, based on

> the research provided so far.

>

> I just came back from a trip to Canada, where the

> government health agency is going through a similar

> review of silicone gel breast implants. We can all

> agree that the FDA process is flawed, but at least

> we can see it -- in Canada, the government appointed

> an expert panel that met secretly to deliberate --

> it was not until after a newspaper revealed the

> situation that Health Canada made the names of their

> expert panel public. When they did, there were 2

> familiar names on their list of 8 experts -- 2 men

> who spoke on behalf of Inamed at the FDA meeting on

> April 12. Yes, that's right -- 2 men who are

> providing " independent " expertise to help Canada

> decide whether to approve silicone breast implants

> are also paid consultants to Inamed to help them get

> approval for the same products in the US.

>

> At this point, the FDA has more than 2 months left

> to decide what to do. They can follow the advice of

> the advisory panel and approve Mentor silicone

> breast implants and reject Inamed's. That seems

> unlikely. They can approve both. They can reject

> both. Or they can do the opposite of what the

> advisory panel recommended: approve Inamed and

> reject Mentor.

>

> If they follow the science, they will reject both.

> The companies are lobbying Congress and FDA, and

> those of us who care about this issue need to get

> our voices heard too. Several people who testified

> are writing and submitting op-ed articles.

>

> I'll keep you posted!

>

>

>

> Zuckerman, Ph.D.

> President

> National Research Center for Women & Families

> 1901 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 901

> Washington, DC 20006

> (202) 223-4000

> www.center4research.org

>

>

>