Fwd: Canadian Parliament responds to our request on implants!

[Guest guest]

Note: forwarded message attached.

Discover Find restaurants, movies, travel more fun for the weekend. Check it out!

It seems that my trip with Joyce Attis to meet with Members of the Canadian

Parliament last month was very

effective! Two of the Members that we met with have responded by requesting

an investigation of the safety of breast implants. See article in today's

newspaper, below.

One of the Members of Parliament, Demers, is a breast cancer survivor

who contacted me the week after my meeting with her to ask for additional

information about the 2 experts to the Canadian panel, who were paid

consultants to one of the implant companies at the FDA meeting. She has

followed up wonderfully.

Our Center just moved this week -- please note our new address!

Best wishes,

Zuckerman, Ph.D.

President

National Research Center for Women & Families

1701 K Street, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20006

(202) 223-4000

www.center4research.org

Health committee asks Dosanjh to delay decision on breast implants

Dennis Bueckert

Canadian Press

June 3, 2005

OTTAWA (CP) - The Commons health committee has asked Health Minister

> > Ujjal Dosanjh to delay a decision on licensing silicone-gel breast

> > implants until the committee has conducted a study of the issue.

> >

> > The motion, passed unanimously, reflects concern among committee members

> > about applications by two U.S. companies to market silicone-gel implants

> > in Canada.

> >

> > " I'm very afraid for young women who don't know about the problems we

> > had in the '80s with those implants, " Bloc Quebecois MP Demers

> > said in an interview Thursday.

> >

> > Researchers have found a high rate of complications and hospitalization

> > associated with the implants, which can rupture and break down, and

> > frequently must be replaced or removed.

> >

> > Demers said a Health Canada technical panel considering the applications

> > is meeting behind closed door and includes two people employed by Mentor

> > and Inomed, the manufacturers.

> >

> > " It's incredible; that's a conflict of interest right there, " she said.

> >

> > New Democrat Crowder said 80 per cent of breast implants are done

> > for cosmetic reasons.

> >

> > " We're putting women at risk for things they don't need to be at risk

> > for.

> >

> > " We want to be sure the process adequately represents women and it's not

> > unduly influenced by industry. "

> >

> > In 1992 manufacturers withdrew silicone implants from the market at the

> > request of Health Canada, but since then the devices have made a quiet

> > comeback.

> >

> > They are being inserted under a special release program which is

> > supposed to give patients access to non-approved products in cases of

> > serious or life-threatening illness.

> >

> > In fact, says Demers, implants are being approved for any patient who

> > requests them, and more than 1,300 Canadian women received implants

> > between 1999 and 2002.

> >

> > " Now they're being told at 15 and 16 they have to be beautiful, that

> > they have to respond to the beauty criteria they see on TV, " Demers

> > said.

> >

> > " Sometimes their parents give them that for their graduation gift -

> > surgery for their breasts. "

> >

> > Health Canada spokeswoman Nathalie Lalonde said 10,000 breast implants

> > have been approved under the special access program in the past two

> > years.

> >

> > She said the panel is reviewing the applications from Inomed and Mentor

> > and there will be a public forum as well.

> >

> > Lalonde didn't comment on the health committee's request for a delay.

> >

> > Pierre Blais, a former Health Canada employee who was among the first to

> > raise questions about breast implants, says the products currently being

> > promoted aren't significantly different from those of the 1980s.

> >

> > Blais said the special release program is " being abused to the point of

> > ridicule. "

> >

> > He said implant surgery is a major drain on the health system because

> > complications are generally dealt with in the public system, even though

> > the original implant procedure is not covered by medicare.

> > Blais said if the devices are approved they will be promoted

> > aggressively rather than merely being made available on request.

> >

> > © The Canadian Press 2005

> >

> >

> >

> >

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