Disgraced PIP breast implant boss jailed  france24.com 07 Mar 12 The founder of the French breast implant company at the heart of a global health scare was jailed on Tuesday after failing to pay his bail. Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was jailed at Marseille's Baumette prison. In January he was charged with causing "involuntary injuries" but released on a €100,000 bail. Mas is the founder of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) at La Seyne-sur-Mer, which shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard, industrial-grade silicone gel. French officials have said that cancers, including 16 cases of breast cancer, had been detected in 20 French women with the implants, but have insisted there is no proven link. AFP.

PIP breast implants: Three former executives indicted  varmatin.com 01 Mar 12 After Jean-Claude Mas (pic right), the founder, and Claude Couty (pic left), CEO of PIP, three former senior executives of the Var based company were indicted for "unintentional injuries". They are free, subject to judicial review. The new indictments were formalised last week in Marseille and revealed yesterday. Hannelore Font, 35, was director of quality and also responsible for regulatory affairs. Loïc Gossart, 38, was production manager. Brinon Thierry, 52,  was technical director. During the preliminary investigations, launched in 2010, all three admitted they were aware of fraud in producing the gel breast implants. They all claim that they tried to oppose the company policy.

PIP breast implant boss arrested in south of France  guardian.co.uk 26 Jan 12 The founder of the French firm which produced the faulty breast implants at the centre of a global health scare has been arrested in the south of France. Jean-Claude Mas, 72, head of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was taken into police custody just before 7am on Thursday morning after police arrived at the home of his partner in Six-Fours in the Var. The house was being searched by investigators. A deputy chief executive was also arrested at his home. PIP closed down in March 2010 after regulators discovered it was using a non-medical grade silicone in its implants. Angelique Chrisafis.

Former head of PIP: 'Removal of the implants is a crime'  nicematin.com 18 Jan 12 Since the PIP breast implants case exploded, Jean-Claude Mas, the former boss of the company, has remained silent. He finally spoke last night on RTL radio. Mas denied the toxicity of the implants manufactured by his company and described as "criminal" the behavior of health minister, Xavier Bertrand. "This gentleman has decided to reimburse patients when there is no medical reason to do so. This decision is a crime,” said Mas who has not been indicted. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) based in Geneva, advised women with PIP implants to consult their physician or surgeon if they suspect a fracture or experience pain."

French implants chief ‘bankrupt’ and unable to pay compensation  scotsman.com 12 Jan 12 The former boss of French implants firm PIP is “bankrupt” and unable to pay compensation to hundreds of thousands of women supplied with his contaminated products. Jean-Claude Mas, 72, has claimed he is living on €1,650 a month and has just €500 in his bank account. He has insisted his company – once one of the world’s biggest prosthetics suppliers – has no assets which could be liquidated. However, detectives are investigating claims that Mr Mas may have hidden millions of euros in assets, including two properties both worth more than €1 million in the south of France and Luxembourg. Mr Mas also sparked outrage after he branded women taking legal action against him as “moneygrabbers”.

The American connection in the PIP implants scandal  nicematin.com 11 Jan 12 The former US partner of PIP founder Jean-Claude Mas was sentenced to 10 years for fraud in the US in 2009. Donald McGhan (pic left) was found guilty of financial and tax fraud in real estate. He was sentenced to 19 years jail in Texas. In Oct 99, Mas partnered with McGhan in Las Vegas, part of a distribution agreement. McGhan 77, was head of Inamed and Medicor, two US companies that sell medical devices to surgeons. In 1998, McGhan was the subject of a complaint by Inamed shareholders who suspected him of diverting their investments to benefit his own company Medicor. PIP implants were removed from the US market in 2000 because of doubts about their quality.

French breast implant ruptures '16 times worse'  theaustralian.com.au 09 Jan 12 The rupture rate of toxic PIP breast implants is as high as one in three, according to a new survey - at least 16 times higher than the rate previously claimed by the industry. Two British surgeons carried out an audit of 453 patients and found between 16% and 34% of the French-made PIP (Poly Implant Protheses) brand ruptured. This compares with a failure rate of 0.9% among the new implants surgeons are using. The study is by Jan Stanek, a fellow of the British Royal College of Surgeons who runs a Harley Street clinic. "It is not just a simple tear, which allows silicone to leak outside the shell, but a complete disintegration of the whole thing, a falling apart," said Stanek. Sarah-Kate Templeton and John Follain.

PIP secrets exposed by investigators  varmatin.com 08 Jan 12 A Var Matin article reveals a series of alleged deceptions by the executives of Poly Implant Prosthesis (PIP) based on information from investigators. Senior executives were remanded in custody and questioned twice in Oct 10 and Oct 11. The director of production is reported as saying, "From the beginning, we were taught the concept of lying,” adding that the true composition of silicone gel used was widely known. A double database was kept on company computers to keep the truth from inspectors. Inspections were pre-announced and illegal materials were removed from the plant. Testimonies by employees blame PIP founder Jean-Claude Mas (pic) claiming that ‘he ran the company like a dictator’. Sonia Bonnin.

PIP implants: The medical story of Edwige Ligoneche  nicematin.com 06 Jan 11 On 21 Nov 11, Edwige Ligoneche, a 53 year old woman from Orange and resident in Cannes, died in Marseille of an extremely rare cancer of the lymphatic system. It had started under the breast. Silicone had spread after the rupture of her PIP implants. The lawyer from Draguinan, Isabelle Colombani, is representing her family. Ligoneche’s death accelerated investigations by France’s health authorities. Colombiani said, "The presence of silicon was detected in vital organs. There is a causal connection between the prosthesis and cancer." It will be up to the medical and judicial authorities to establish the link between cause and effect. Sonia Bonnin.

Breast implant scandal firm also made testicles, ex-workers claim  guardian.co.uk 05 Jan 12 The breast implant health scare has taken a further twist with a claim the French company at the heart of the scandal also made implants for male patients. Two former employees of Poly Implant Prothese said the firm manufactured testicle, buttock and chest implants, mainly destined for export. On Wednesday local judge Annaïck Le Goff visited the former PIP headquarters at La Seyne-sur-Mer in the Var, and left with an armful of files. A parallel investigation has been opened into 'aggravated deception'. So far 2,400 French women given PIP implants have lodged legal complaints. Kim Willsher. (Pic: Nicolas Lucciardi, son of Jean-Claude Mas, founder of Poly Implant Prothese.)

PIP: Investigating judge visits the factory site  varmatin.com 05 Jan 12 Annaïck Le Goff, the judge investigating the PIP implants affair, spent four hours visiting the premises of Poly Implant Prosthesis on Wed 04 Jan 12. A judicial inquiry was instigated 08 Dec 11, for ‘manslaughter’ and ‘unintentional injuries’. “It was a simple site visit,” said a source close to the investigation, “The judge needs to absorb the scope of the investigation.”  The site at La Seyne-sur-Mer has been vandalised in recent months. Tens of thousands of implants are still in storgae. The factory closed 30 Mar 10 after a decision by health authorities to withdraw the implants from the market.  Sonia Bonnin.

Monaco will pay for removal and replacement of PIP breast implants  monacomatin.mc 05 Jan 12 The Government of the Principality of Monaco, in accordance with the Monegasque Social Security Fund, has decided to guarantee the removal and replacement of those who are insured in the Monaco health scheme and have had breast implants by Poly Implant Prosthesis (PIP). The measure applies to all patients, whether they have had reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. 90 patients have had PIP implants at the Princess Grace Hospital since 2001. All have been personally contacted and 17 have already been treated.

Breast implant boss linked to second firm near Toulon  independent.co.uk 31 Dec 11 The French businessman at the centre of the international scandal over defective breast implants tried to set up a new factory last summer to continue his activities. Although already facing possible charges of fraud in France and other countries, Jean-Claude Mas was named as a 'consultant' in a business plan registered by his son and daughter in June to restart the manufacture of breast implants at his original factory site at La Seyne-sur-Mer near Toulon. Plans to launch the new company, France Implant Technologie have now collapsed because of the scandal surrounding the original company, PIP. This raises fresh questions about the slow response of French authorities. John Lichfield.

French health minister says Var implant boss must answer  dailypress.com 24 Dec 11 France's health minister called for the head of the breast implant maker accused of selling faulty prostheses to tens of thousands of women around the world to be found, calling the growing scandal a "shady business." Jean-Claude Mas, 72, the founder and CEO of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) based near Toulon, has not been seen or heard of in public since the scandal broke. His company is accused of using sub-standard industrial silicone in some of its implants, which were sold globally before being taken off the market in 2010. PIP's lawyer has said Mas and the company's chief financial officer were keeping silent "out of decency and discretion" but were still in the south of France. Reuters.

South of France's faulty breast implants scandal  guardian.co.uk 14 Dec 11 More than 30,000 women in France, Spain, UK and other countries have had breast implants filled with industrial silicone instead of medical-grade fillers. The company Poly Implant Prosthesis (PIP), based in the south of France, was one of the world's leaders in silicone implant production until last year when it was found to have been cutting corners and saving an estimated €1bn a year by using industrial silicone instead of medical-grade fillers in their breast implants. The casing around the filling was also faulty and prone to rupture or leakage. The company has closed and more than 2,000 women have filed legal complaints. Angelique Chrisafis.

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