PIP breast implant scandal a boon to U.K. company

A scandal over substandard breast implants has generated one positive outcome in the U.K.: A domestic breast implant maker says business is soaring and it is actively pursuing plans to grab more market share.

BDaily reports that Nagor, a Scottish breast implant maker, has seen sales soar 30% in the wake of a trial earlier this summer involving former execs from the now-defunct French implant maker Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP). PIP sparked a global scandal in 2011 when it acknowledged it had been selling breast implants with substandard silicone for years, leading to thousands of ruptures in the EU and Latin America. PIP's absence from the market has sparked opportunity for Nagor and its corporate parent GC Aesthetics.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Nagor is also expanding into the Spanish and Mexican markets in the wake of the scandal, according to the story. GC Aesthetics, which also owns the French silicone breast implant maker Eurosilicone, is actively expanding in a bid to become the top of the heap among independent medical aesthetics companies by 2013, according to the story.

That's all well and good. But in the European Union, at least, Nagor/GC Aesthetics will likely have to contend with tougher device regulations, under way in the wake of the PIP scandal. While opposition to planned changes remains, a pivotal European Parliament committee is expected to vote Sept. 18 on proposed revisions. A full EU parliamentary vote is expected in November.

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