30 octobre, 2006 22:01

Feinstein calls for investigation of breast implant maker

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. Senator Dianne Feinstein is calling for a new investigation investigation of a company that makes silicone breast implants.

Feinstein along with Senator Olympia Snowe has sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration expressing concern after a former employee of the Santa Barbara-based medical products company Mentor raised doubts about the reliability of data on the perfrmance of the company's implants.

The allegations suggest the company deliberately ignored or left out data that raised questions about the performance of its silicone implants

Similar charges came up about 18 months ago.

Mentor and its chief competitor Inamed have tried to overturn a 1992 ban on silicone breast implants. Since the ban the implants have been mostly restricted to post-cancer surgery.