In the Czech Republic _ where the implants were banned in 2010 _ the country’s health ministry on Friday recommended about 2,000 Czech women with potentially faulty implants should have them removed.
The Czech health ministry said it would negotiate with the country’s health insurers on how to cover the cost. Those women who refuse to have the implants removed should undergo regular health checks, it said. “No imminent risk of serious health problems has been proven,” the ministry said.
According to estimates by national authorities, over 42,000 women in Britain received the implants, more than 30,000 in France, 9,000 in Australia and 4,000 in Italy. Nearly 25,000 of the implants were sold in Brazil.
Australia’s medical watchdog, however, says health officials had found no evidence that the PIP implants had an increased risk of rupture in Australian women, and said lab testing of the silicone gel used indicated it was nontoxic to nearby tissue even if the implant did rupture.
By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
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