FRANCE is about to launch one of its biggest trials as five managers from manufacturer PIP face charges of selling faulty breast implants, which sparked a global health scare.

More than 5,000 women have registered as plaintiffs in the case, in which the defendants, including PIP’s 73-year-old founder Jean-Claude Mas, are charged with aggravated fraud for using industrial-grade silicone in implants.

About 300,000 women in 65 countries, including Australia, are believed to have received the implants.

16 April 2013