RTI Rebuts British Tabloid Charges of Illegal Human Parts Trading

It’s been a tough few weeks for RTI Surgical, Inc.

First, in October the FDA challenged the company over the definition of “minimal manipulation” and then the British-based tabloid the Mail on Sunday published a story on Sunday, November 2, 2014 that alleged that RTI was linked to “the illegal trade in human remains in Eastern Europe.”

“Inaccurate and Misleading”

The company quickly issued a rebuttal on November 3 saying the article was “inaccurate and misleading.”

The article said the research done by the Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies (CBIS) at the Imperial College in London relies on anatomical material from RTI.

On October 30, 2014, RTI said it advised the reporters of the article that it does work from time to time with scientists and researchers at Imperial College, but the company does not send tissue to the Royal British Legion Blast Injuries Centre. “The research mentioned in the Mail on Sunday article is actually related to tissues of xenograft origin, not human—therefore the assertion that Imperial College is sourcing ‘body parts’ and ‘human tendons’ from RTI for this study is inaccurate.”

“RTI does not supply to anyone, nor has the company ever supplied, anatomic material for research such as may be sourced by the CBIS. To include the company in the story about sourcing human anatomical material for the CBIS at all is completely inappropriate.”

In what is reminiscent of the “Have you stopped beating your wife?” question, the company was forced to say that is has “never participated in illegal trade of human remains.”

The company is a leading global surgical implant company providing surgeons with safe biologic, metal and synthetic implants. RTI is accredited in the U.S. by the American Association of Tissue Banks and is a member of AdvaMed.

The Mail on Sunday article also said that RTI was “sourcing tissue from morgues in Ukraine where documents relating to the deceased were forged.”

That statement, according to the company, is inaccurate. “Much of the reporting that the Mail on Sunday journalists was referencing was from highly sensational and misleading articles from 2012. One of the main sources of those articles has recently been adjudicated to be a misleading representation and therefore unlawful by the German courts. Additionally, allegations that resulted from previous sensational media stories were investigated and monitored by the relevant authorities, including the Ukraine government, the German Health Authorities and the U.S. FDA. None of these allegations ever proved to be accurate.”

“RTI is very proud of the work we do, and we hold ourselves to a higher standard for our donor families, our surgeons and their patients. We take these misrepresentations of our company very seriously. We have requested a retraction from the Mail on Sunday, and we are exploring all legal options open to us. This sort of reporting is not only unfair to our company, but also to the surgeons and patients who receive our implants as well as the donor families who have generously given the gift of tissue donation to help others, ” concluded the company statement.

Royal British Legion Deplores Accusations

The Royal British Legion issued its own statement saying it:

“deplores the Mail on Sunday’s cynical attempt to discredit our funding of vital scientific research aimed at improving outcomes for British Armed Forces personnel attacked by explosive devices. The research conducted at The Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London will create world-leading breakthroughs in the prevention, mitigation and responses to explosive injuries.

By necessity, a small portion of this research involves human tissues which are ethically, responsibly, and consensually sourced from legitimate suppliers.

For the Mail on Sunday to term this as a ‘macabre trade in human legs and feet’ is sensational, false, and deeply offensive. We condemn its report and believe that the British public will support this necessary and life-altering research.”

The Mail on Sunday

The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain’s biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of News of the World in July 2011.