Word: implanters
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...some that carried unfortunate unintended consequences. The Administration's leading members, said Democratic Senator Joseph Biden last week, "believed we would find an oil-rich, functioning country, that we'd be met by cheering crowds, that all we had to do was sweep out the top Baathist layers, implant our favorite exiles and watch democracy take root as the bulk of the troops returned home by Christmas." Allowing for Bidenesque hyperbole, that is not far off the mark. Bureaucratic infighting, wishful thinking and--at least according to his many rivals--an undue influence in Washington exerted by Ahmed Chalabi...
...other hand, the Food and Drug Administration-like Medicare, a part of Health and Human Services-which restricted the use of silicone implants in 1992 because of health concerns, may be poised to reverse course. On October 14 and 15, an FDA advisory panel will meet to consider recommending that silicone implant manufacturer Inamed Corp., located in Santa Barbara, California, be allowed to market its product. This week, opponents of any change in the FDA's stance are beginning a print and broadcast ad campaign depicting a woman's breast with an implant as a ticking time bomb...
...problem, says the National Organization for Women and other groups protesting the FDA's step, is that the agency is considering just two years of safety data submitted by Inamed. Many of the injuries don't appear until at least 5 years post-implant. Studies and experience show that most of the devices eventually rupture, and can cause infection, interfere with mammogram readings and trigger a painful shrinkage of scar tissue around them...
...What about longer-term effects when the silicone migrates beyond its capsule? No scientific studies have proven a connection between the implants and diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, but critics complain that the research hasn't been adequate, or over a long enough time period. Government-funded studies on immune responses following silicone implant leakage or rupture is ongoing, and many women swear there's a cause-and-effect relationship. Mary McDonough, who underwent breast augmentation to help her transition from being a young star of "The Waltons" to other film and television work, became progressively sicker with lupus...
...Back at the Justice Department, which is suing implant makers on behalf of Medicare, a spokesman says the government is pleased the lawsuit can go forward. If it succeeds, it won't be the first time the feds have recovered funds to cover the cost of treating implant injuries. A year ago, several agenceis were awarded $10 million as part of the Dow Corning bankruptcy settlement- and also received $100,000 from Inamed, the same company that is the subject of the October FDA meeting. An FDA spokeswoman had no comment on the Medicare lawsuits...