Founded in 1991 in France, Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) produced silicone gel breast implants. As a precautionary action In 2010 the company, with 120 staff, was forced into liquidated upon the public discovery that they had been illegally manufacturing and selling non-medical graded silcone breast implants. PIP had originally manufactured the mandated medical-grade silicone breast implants but subsequently in 2001 began manufacturing a much cheaper industrial-grade silicone.
From 2001 until 2010, hundreds of thousands of unapproved, non-medical grade implants were sold worldwide. It was discovered that these inferior implants had a 500% higher risk of rupturing or leaking than the former approved PIP implants which led to increased implications that they were the causes of numerous deaths due to their systemic toxicity and induced breast cancer. When this highly controversial and alarming scandal become public knowledge in 2010, France's health ministry launched a recall but at that point the company was already no longer operating.
Who were the founders?
Jean-Claude Mas, born in 1939, founded PIP. He began working as a butcher in his mother's butcher shop in Tarbes, near the Pyrenees mountains on the Spanish border and later became a wine merchant. Subsequently he became a medical sales representative for Bristol Myers and worked there for 15 years. At some point, Jean-Claude became friends a plastic surgeon named Henri Arion (who in 1965 was responsible for introducing breast implants to France). Realizing the commercial potential of breast implants, Jean-Claude and Henri launched several companies in the pursuit of capitalizing on vulnerable women seeking to attain the 'perfect' body. After Henri died in a plane crash, Jean-Claude launched PIP on his own.
Corruption and greed
This is not the first company to ever fall from grace in the quest money. It was known that Jean-Claude wanted to 'succeed at all costs'. In the pursuit to grab market share, he would do whatever it took to reach his own personal goals. Over the 20 years the company was in existence, the company produced approximately 2 million sets of silicone breast implants. Implants were exported to Australia, Latin American countries including Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina, Western European markets including Britain, Germany, Spain, and Italy.
In 2000, the FDA banned silicone breast implants in the US market which had a ripple effect worldwide. To counter the loss in sales Jean-Claude came up with the idea of reducing his costs by 90% and switching the approved medical-grade silicone to his own formula - an in-house produced industrial-grade silicone that only required a small change in the formula. This 'behind closed doors' decision to launch an unapproved version was the start of the horrendous scandal that left many women ill and even caused numerous deaths. To make matters worse, Jean-Claude admitted to selling the 'lower-grade' version to those who were less well-off and kept the medical-grade approved implants for the wealthier customers.
The original implants were approved to be sold in Europe and were tested by the company TUV Rheinland, an independent certification company. When the company discovered the irregularities, it banned the sale of all product in Europe. By the time France went to shut down the company, they realized the tainted product had already been on the market for at least 9 years. At the same time, Jean-Claude disappeared to Costa Rica. He ended up in a drinking and driving accident and was charged for the offence. Jean-Claude was only condemned for fraud 6 years later. He launched an appeal, that was eventually rejected by France’s highest court in September 2018, and forced to pay a fine of €75,000 and will only be serving a mere sentence of 4 years in jail. Where is the justice?
This whole scandal has raised serious questions as to how the whole breast implant industry is regulated ...
All posts are intended strictly for educational purposes. It is not intended to make any representations or warranties about the outcome of any procedure. It is not a substitute for a thorough in-person consultation with a medical professional. If you have questions about your personal medical situation, please call your healthcare provider.
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