Fw: U.S. awarded $9.8 mln for breast implant injuries

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Martha Murdock, DirectorNational Silicone Implant Foundation | Dallas Headquarters"Supporting Survivors of Medical Implant Devices"4416 Willow LaneDallas, TX 75244-7537

----- Original Message ----- From: S3733@...

S3733@...

Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 9:20 PM

Subject: U.S. awarded $9.8 mln for breast implant injuries

U.S. awarded $9.8 mln for breast implant injuriesDETROIT, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge overseeing the Dow Corning Corp. bankruptcy on Thursday authorized a $9.8 million settlement of U.S. government claims for medical expenses from breast implant-related injuries.The settlement is one of the last hurdles to the company's payment of $3.2 billion to settle lawsuits filed by thousands of women who claimed that silicone gel implants caused health problems such as connective tissue disorders.The order from Judge Page Hood of the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit covers claims for costs incurred by government agencies like the Department of Defense and Medicare and Medicaid Services."We are pleased to be closer to providing relief to suffering women. Simply removing a damaged implant can cost as much as $20,000, and is often paid out-of-pocket," Sybil Niden Goldrich, the settlement fund's consumer representative, said in a statement.Dow Corning, once the world's largest maker of silicone gel implants, filed for protection from creditors in May 1995 after it was hit with about 19,000 lawsuits. It no longer makes silicone breast implants.The company denies the implants cause diseases.Silicone breast implants were banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1992 over concerns they were causing autoimmune disease, but limited numbers have been allowed under rules restricting use to clinical studies.Saline implants have remained on the market, but the agency required that their safety be studied for 10 years.The final legal hurdle to payment of the $3.2 billion settlement reached in 1999 will be whether the Supreme Court agrees to hear an appeal of a claim that Dow Corning's parent companies, Dow Chemical Co. <DOW.N> and Corning Inc. <GLW.N>, are liable for injuries caused by the implants, according to a spokeswoman for Command Trust Network, an information clearinghouse for women with breast implants.Thursday's settlement prevents the government from seeking additional compensation for implant claims from Dow Corning or from claimants who had Dow Corning breast implants, but the U.S. is free to pursue compensation from other manufacturers. 09/19/02 19:19 ET