(swissinfo.ch)–The Implant Files revelations of faulty implants and weak safety standards are raising alarm bells for Switzerland’s rapidly growing medical device industry. Manufacturers and industry bodies say that safety standards have improved in the last decade, but do they go far enough?
The market for implanted medical devices is booming globally. Tens of thousands of people are walking around with implants, from hip replacements to pacemakers and defibrillators.
According to the Implant Filesexternal link released on Monday, many of these people face serious health risks, in some cases fatal, from what are intended to be life-saving implants. The research was conducted by 250 journalists across more than 30 countries, including Swiss journalists from Tamedia, that are part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).external link
The investigation suggests that products are often rushed onto the market with sub-standard testing or approval procedures, and for many, recalls are too late – the damage is irreparable. In Switzerland, there were approximately 1,400 complications due to medical implantsexternal link last year according to report on Swiss Public Radio, SRF. This includes, for example, spinal implants that disintegrate in the body causing long-term damage.
READ Complete Article: https://www.swissinfo.ch/