Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, is initiating a new digital campaign to improve device tracking and further identify and reach breast implant patients who have, or have had, BIOCELL breast implants and/or tissue expanders to inform them of the risk of BIA-ALCL. 

Since July 2019 when the BIOCELL recall was announced, robust efforts were made to reach patients. However, the company is still seeking to directly contact all US BIOCELL patients that have not yet been notified. This is due to incomplete device tracking data for approximately 52,000 BIOCELL breast implant units, according to a news release from AbbVie.

It is important to note, per the release, that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made the following recommendation: “If you have no symptoms, we are not recommending the removal of these or other types of breast implants due to the low risk of developing BIA-ALCL. However, if you have any questions, talk to your health care provider.”

Allergan Aesthetics will launch a multi-channel campaign which will include digital and social media advertisements further informing patients of the voluntary recall and directing them to Allergan Aesthetics’ BIOCELL information website for education on how to identify their implant type and register their implants.

“Allergan Aesthetics is committed to patient safety and we are continuing to make every effort to make sure that each and every patient is made aware of the BIOCELL recall, and knows their implant type and implant history,” John Maltman, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Allergan Aesthetics, says in a media release.

If patients are not aware of the BIOCELL recall previously announced on July 24, 2019, and do not know the type of implant that they have in place or their implant history, they should either:

  • Reach out to Allergan Aesthetics to determine if the company has their implant information.
  • Contact their surgeon or hospital where they received implants to determine if the surgeon or hospital has records of their implant information.

Patients who know that they have an Allergan implant, and may not have participated in device tracking previously, or who need to update their information – the BIOCELL information website will inform them how to register for device tracking, which is strongly advised for all patients, and answer any questions they may have.

Patients with BIOCELL implants or tissue expanders or a history of BIOCELL implants or tissue expanders should visit the BIOCELL information website to learn about the BIOCELL recall, symptoms of Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), the importance of breast self-examination, and the need for regular breast implant monitoring.

“We are determined to make sure every woman has the information they need related to the BIOCELL voluntary recall and we will continue to encourage women with breast implants to determine their implant type and opt-in to our device tracking system. Patient education is a priority. We have partnered with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) on major initiatives to raise awareness regarding the importance of breast implant tracking,” says Carrie Strom, Senior Vice President AbbVie and President Global Allergan Aesthetics, in the release.

[Source(s): AbbVie, PR Newswire]