SILICONE CLEARINGHOUSE

For membership information, please contact Health Research Group at 1600 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009, (202) 588-1000 or email to hrg1@citizen.org

To assist attorneys representing clients injured by breast implants, the Public Citizen Health Research Group has established a Clearinghouse which will provide to members a research base of the medical and legal issues surrounding this medical device. The documents relate to all varieties of breast implants, including silicone gel-filled, saline filled or combination implants, as well as polyurethane coated implants and silicone injections. The following documents are included:

Names, addresses and telephone numbers of experts and medical consultants, organized by area of expertise.
Names, addresses and telephone numbers of attorneys who are Clearinghouse members with pending or completed litigation.
Litigation documents: interrogatories and answers in three breast implant cases which involve complications due to hyper-immune response and mixed connective tissue disease; summaries of the opinions of experts who will testify in a case which involves a polyurethane foam shell mammary implant. Documents available by request: trial testimony of Dow Corning witnesses; depositions of individuals from Dow Corning and McGhan Medical Corporation involved in research and design of silicone breast implants, as well as in technical and quality control capacities. Class action and MDL materials are also available. Medical journal reviews.
Reports from an FDA Inspection of the company Surgitek/Aesthetech, Paso Robles, California, 1988 (including responses to FDA by Surgitek/Aesthetech.)
FDA reviews of experimental data and medical literature concerning the health hazards of silicone gel and silicone gel breast implants.
Transcripts of FDA hearings 1976-1989 which address issues of safety and efficacy of breast implants.
FDA reviews of the 1985-1987 Dow Corning rat carcinogenicity study.
Product patents and package inserts.
Current FDA information regarding advisory panel hearings and recommendations.
Information on the issue of "informed consent", including model educational brochures.
Continuing updates as additional information becomes available.
Documents available by request: pleadings in the Freedom of Information Act litigation against FDA by Public Citizen to gain access to all information comprising Dow Corning's biosafety research (including data from the 1985-1987 Dow Corning rat study.)
Periodic meetings of Clearinghouse members in Washington D.C. to exchange information.