Allergan is making a new effort to find tens of thousands of women who still have its textured breast implants, which were recalled more than 10 months ago because they were linked to a particular type of cancer. According to a report on Fortune.com, AbbVie, which now owns Allergan, said it will launch a digital and social media ad campaign to alert patients about the July 2019 recall of its textured Biocell implants. Those implants have been linked to cancer known as breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma or BIA-ALCL.
Dangerous Products and Recall
So far, more than 33 women have died after they developed this type of cancer. Allergan’s announcement comes two weeks after Fortune published an investigation into persistent problems with breast implants and the health risks including BIA-ALCL. These risks have been amplified by decades of inadequate study and problems that were concealed by breast implant manufacturers.
Fortune also highlighted the problem of poor tracking of medical devices. The publication also interviewed several women who said they found out about the Biocell recall through social media or news reports rather than directly from the company or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which initiated the recall.
Allergan has acknowledged that it does not have device-tracking information for about 52,000 Biocell breast implants. Allergan’s latest ad campaign appears to be at the behest of the FDA, which asked Allergan to develop a new strategy to contact patients who may not have heard about the recall.
Lack of Prompt Action
It’s no secret that corporations pump millions of dollars into ad campaigns to promote their products and brands. Every company, even the smallest ones, have a website and several social media accounts. When it comes to product recalls, companies simply don’t invest as much. Patients with Allergan breast implants who have been diagnosed with BIA-ALCL are also left wondering why 10 months have elapsed between when Allergan recalled its breast implants and when it said it would do more to alert consumers about the recall.
As product defect lawyers who are representing women who have been seriously affected by Allergan textured breast implants, we absolutely agree that Allergan should have made these efforts immediately after the recall. This was a life-or-death situation for many and Allergan should have treated it as such. Anyone who has developed cancer as a result of these products would be well advised to contact an experienced product defect attorney who will provide them with more information about pursuing their legal rights.
Source: https://fortune.com/2020/06/03/breast-implants-recall-allergan-fda-new-warnings/
