Mixed response to watered-down medical device safety regulations

New rules to ensure all kinds of medical devices including hip replacements and breast implants are safer have been watered down by the European Parliament.

Aggressive industry lobbying was blamed for the result by the MEP responsible for managing the legislation through the parliament, Dagmar Roth-Behrendt.

The scandal that saw thousands of women with unsafe breast implants from the French PIP company focused attention on medical devices in 2011 and led to demands for tougher regulations.