French Heritage Allowed to Sell Silicone Breasts in Brazil

France-based Heritage Worldwide Inc, a top-three provider of breast implants internationally, yesterday announced that its subsidiary, Poly Implant Protheses, SA, has been authorized to sell its product in Brazil.

The Brazilian Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) allowed Heritage to market gel-filled breast implants in Brazil, the world’s second-largest market for breast implants, right after the United States.

“Not only is Brazil the second largest market for breast implants in the world, we expect to be the only one of the top three suppliers worldwide to have a significant position in the Brazilian market, which is today largely dominated by two local Brazilian companies,” commented Heritage Chairman Jean- Claude Mas. 

“Brazil, with a population of more than 175 million, is an ideal market for our products.  We have won praise from many Brazilian surgeons for our asymmetric breast implants, which emphasize natural aesthetics and contours, and are, we believe, a significant improvement over existing products currently available in Brazil. 

“We estimate the annual Brazilian breast implant market to approximate 70,000 pairs, and we expect to obtain at least 10 percent of this market within the next twelve months.”

“Securing Brazilian market approval is a significant step for us, and an important opportunity for us to be a strong international supplier in a large and growing market,” said CEO Alain Serreyjol-Garros. 

“Even though it took us two years to obtain this approval, having worked closely with our Brazilian distributor, in the last twelve months we have opened several new markets and we are only at the top of the second inning of our game regarding our international expansion.”

Heritage has seen a marked uptrend in recent months, and reported revenue increased 75 percent in its most recent quarter, with a strong turnaround to profitability. 

The results for the fiscal third quarter ended March 31 were reported on May 16, 2005.  The fiscal year-end results are expected in September.

Heritage and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture, and market breast and other body implants and body support products worldwide. 

The Company maintains its production facility and headquarters in the Toulon metropolitan area in Southern France, and has a distribution facility in Spain. The Company is incorporated in Delaware.