| |
Santa Barbara, Calif., July 30, 2002 - Inamed Corporation (Nasdaq: IMDC), a global medical device company, today announced that the Company launched its national consumer awareness campaign for the BioEnterics® LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System. As part of the campaign, Ann Wilson, lead singer of the rock band Heart will discuss her personal experience with the LAP-BAND System.
Ann Wilson has been lead singer for Heart since the band was formed 25 years ago. The group is currently in the middle of a national tour - their first together in ten years. Prior to surgery on Jan 31, 2002, Ms. Wilson was considered morbidly obese - she was more than 100 pounds over the ideal weight for a 5'7" woman. Wilson has lost more than 60 pounds in less than six months as a result of her treatment with the LAP-BAND System and expects to lose at least another 40 pounds.
"I've been heavy all my life," Wilson said. "I've tried just about every diet there is. But nothing really did the trick. I've been exercising since 1991, at least four times a week - yoga, free weights, aerobics and Pilates. But even that hasn't worked for me, because my particular problem is, I get really hungry and I just eat those big American portions - heaping plates of food."
"I was not ready to change the inner landscape of my body with staples and cutting, but the LAP-BAND System was a different story," Wilson says. "They don't cut you open, and they don't re-route your intestines. The operation is reversible. If you can't deal with it, they can take the band out, and none of your organs have been permanently altered."
The new promotional campaign marks the beginning of the Company's national consumer awareness program directed at individuals suffering from severe or morbid obesity. The outreach campaign will educate potential patients about the features and advantages of the
LAP-BAND System, the newest treatment option available in the United States for morbid and severe obesity.
The LAP-BAND System is distinguished from other popular forms of weight-loss surgery in that it is adjustable and reversible. Since the device can be implanted laparoscopically and does not involve stomach stapling or intestinal rerouting, the procedure allows for quicker patient recovery. During the procedure, surgeons use laparoscopic, or less invasive, techniques to implant an inflatable silicone band into the patient's abdomen. Like a wrist-watch, the band is fastened around the upper stomach to create a stomach pouch. As a result, patients experience an earlier sensation of fullness and are satisfied with smaller amounts of food. To date, more than 80,000 procedures have been performed worldwide.
Ms. Wilson continued, "At this point, it isn't about how I look. It's about my health and my kids. It's about being there for them and for me. I thought about it over and over, and saw the LAP-BAND System as something I can live with. And I knew it was something that could help save my life."
Wilson is coming forward with her weight-loss journey as part of a campaign launched last week at Spotlight Health, the leading creator of celebrity-featured health-issue awareness campaigns. The campaign consists of a website with in-depth information on morbid obesity and its treatment options (www.spotlighthealth.com), live online chats with Wilson and leading bariatric physicians from around the globe and 24-hour online morbid obesity support groups, in addition to other educational components.
"We're pleased that Ms. Wilson has decided to share her battle with weight-loss with the public," said James McCollum, General Manager, Inamed Health (a division of Inamed Corporation). "It's a courageous act that can potentially benefit the significant and ever-growing obese population by increasing awareness of effective, long-term treatment options available. The LAP-BAND System is also unique in its adjustability and reversibility."
Obesity has become a national epidemic in the United States, affecting about 40 million American adults, or 22.3% of the population. Another 97 million Americans (54.9% of the population) are overweight and at risk for becoming obese.
The disease also has an alarming price tag - the estimated medical cost of treating obesity totals about $238 billion per year, with roughly $100 billion of that devoted to treating related health problems. Americans spend $33 billion annually on weight-loss products and services.
Each year, an estimated 280,000 deaths occur from complications of obesity.
There are numerous resources for obesity information. Inamed Corporation has created a resource guide at http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/patient/internet.html for the public's convenience.
|
|
