A Florida woman has filed a recent lawsuit against medical device company Allergan, claiming that the company’s textured breast implants caused her to develop Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).

Lawsuit Filed Following Allergan Breast Implant Recall

Plaintiffs Kelli R. and Amy F. of Florida filed their lawsuit against Allergan on Oct. 22, 2019, claiming that the company’s implants gave them BIA-ALCL, a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that develops in the scar tissue or fluid surrounding breast implants.

According to plaintiff Kelli R., she underwent a double mastectomy in October 2016 as part of her breast cancer treatment plan. After her cancer was deemed to be in remission and her treatment was complete, Kelli made the decision to undergo breast implant surgery to reconstruct her chest. She was implanted with a type of Allergan textured breast implants.

According to Kelli, she chose those implants based on her doctor’s representation of Allergan implants as a safe and effective way to reconstruct her breasts. However, in August 2019, Kelli claims that she received a notice from the company alerting her that her implants had been recalled due to their connection with BIA-ALCL. Due to the breast implant recall, Kelli decided to remove her implants and has a removal surgery scheduled for later in 2019.

While Allergan has announced that the company will cover the cost of a pair of smooth replacement implants for patients who have received Allergan textured implants and wish to replace them before July 24, 2021, this program does not cover all of the costs of surgery. While Allergan will cover up to $1,000 in diagnostic fees and up to $7,500 in surgical fees, patients who wish to replace their implants may still face thousands in fees.

Although Kelli has insurance, her out of pocket bills for her removal and replacement surgery are estimated to be around $3,000. Women who do not have insurance or whose insurance will not cover the cost of a replacement procedure may face a difficult decision regarding whether to remove their implants.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, plaintiff Amy F. of Florida also chose Allergan implants when she underwent a breast augmentation surgery in December 2009. When Amy’s doctor contacted her in September 2019 to inform her about the recall, Amy decided to have her implants removed.

According to Amy, her family had a history of cancer and she would never have chosen the Allergan implants if she had been informed of the possible cancer risk associated with them. Although Amy also has insurance, her estimated costs for her removal surgery are expected to be between $3,600 and more than $9,000.

About the Allergan Breast Implant Recall

Allergen is a manufacturer of saline and silicone breast implants that are distributed and sold worldwide. These implants may be smooth or textured. On July 24, 2019, Allergan announced that their popular BIOCELL implants would be recalled worldwide after the US FDA determined that the medical-grade implants may be linked with an increased risk of cancer.

Textured implants, in particular, have been linked with an increased risk of developing BIA-ALCL, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and every confirmed case of the cancer has involved textured implants.

Out of the 573 reported cases of BIA-ALCL, 481 or approximately 84 percent were related to Allergan implants. At least twelve of these cases resulted in the death of the patient.

According to the Washington Post, because more than 300,000 breast augmentations and 100,000 breast reconstructions are estimated to be performed in the U.S. every year, thousands of women may have been affected by the Allergan breast implant recall. Many of these women have already had cancer and have undergone breast reconstruction due to mastectomies.

If you have received Allergan breast implants, you may be eligible to hire an attorney and file a class action lawsuit against the medical device company for failing to disclose the risks associated with their product. Victims who file lawsuits may be able to collect compensation for injuries, mental and emotional distress, medical bills, and other damages.

Kelli and Amy’s Allergan Breast Implant Recall Lawsuit is Case No: 6:19-cv-02016-GAP-DCI, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.