If silicone gel-filled breast implants are safe, why is FDA requiring such large post-approval studies?
FDA determined that there were adequate data to support the approval of the Mentor and Allergan (formerly Inamed) products. Now that the products have been determined by FDA to be safe and effective, we will continue to monitor their safety and effectiveness by requiring each company to conduct a study of approximately 40,000 women through 10 years. The large post-approval studies will gather data on long-term local complications, connective tissue disease and its signs and symptoms, neurological disease and its signs and symptoms, reproductive issues, offspring issues, lactation issues, cancer, suicide, mammography issues, and MRI compliance and rupture results. FDA anticipates that data from these long-term studies will provide important information for patients and physicians and may lead to improvements in device labeling.
