Allergan Launches See America(SM), a Bold Initiative Furthering the Fight Against Preventable Blindness

DUBLIN, Feb. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), a global leader in eye care for nearly 70 years, announces a bold commitment to fight preventable blindness in the United States with a new initiative—See America. Through See America, Allergan sets out to make vision health a priority for all Americans, increase awareness of the diseases that can cause preventable blindness and, critically, help improve access to vision care for those who need it most.

The launch follows the release of a major report published in September 2016 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), declaring eye health a public health imperative. The report recognized the overwhelming number of Americans affected by blindness from preventable causes. Therefore, NASEM put forth a nationwide rallying cry, encouraging all of America to prioritize proactive eye care.

"Vision loss from diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy is affecting and destroying the lives of too many—with cases of preventable blindness increasing at such a frightening rate," said Herm Cukier, Senior Vice President, Eye Care. "We are launching See America to stress the importance of eye health. The time to act is now."

Without a nationwide intervention, cases of preventable blindness and visual impairment are projected to double by 2050¹. At this rate, one American will experience partial or complete loss of sight every four minutes²– costing the U.S. economy trillions of dollars³ over the next thirty-four years.

Through See America, Allergan will partner with the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization, Prevent Blindness, to champion better access to vision care. Through a series of vision-screening events in various cities, sponsored by Allergan, attendees will receive free one-on-one professional eye exams, follow-up treatment plans and education about the most common diseases affecting people's vision. In addition to sponsoring Prevent Blindness, Allergan will look to partner on programs from like-minded organizations that support the goals of See America.

Many people are not aware of the perils associated with neglecting their vision. Currently, 61 million Americans are at risk of severe vision loss—more than the populations of California and Florida combined⁴. Yet, only half of those at risk visited an eye doctor in the last year⁵.

Board Certified Ophthalmologist, Dr. Elizabeth Yeu, believes the key to effective treatment is early detection. "As an ophthalmologist, I've seen the endless ways in which vision loss burdens my patients' lives," states Yeu. "In certain cases, their vision loss could have been prevented if they had sought out treatment sooner. I'm so happy to be a part of this initiative to shine a spotlight on the problem and rally the support we need to affect change."⁶

With an unrivaled eye care portfolio, a national network of medical experts and an unwavering commitment to the future of America's eyesight, Allergan is standing at the forefront to answer NASEM's call. For Allergan, this is only the beginning but the message is clear – to fight until the fight has been won.

To learn more about See America and prioritize your own vision, visit www.SeeAmerica.vision.  

NASEM - Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow 
In September 2016, The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) issued a public health report that stressed the urgency of making vision health a national priority in order to reduce vision impairment and promote eye health in the U.S.^[1]

In the report, which was sponsored by some of the most reputable bodies in the healthcare space including the CDC, NASEM urged a call-to-action to eliminate preventable blindness and vision impairment by the year 2030. Allergan enthusiastically welcomes the attention NASEM is drawing to vision loss and has the responsibility to do its part in joining in this cause.

ABOUT ALLERGAN PLC.
Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model – Growth Pharma.  Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceuticals, devices and biologic products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.

Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, the Company's R&D model, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care.  This approach has led to Allergan building one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with 70+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs in development.

Our Company's success is powered by our more than 16,000 global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life.  Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com

Forward-Looking Statement
Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 (certain of such periodic public filings having been filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

¹ NASEM: Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow  
² Varma, R et al, "Visual impairment and blindness in adults in the United States: Demographic and Geographic Variations from 2015 to 2050," JAMA Ophthalmology
³ Prevent Blindness, The Future of Vision 
⁴ US Census Bureau National Totals: Vintage 2015 
⁵ CDC: Vision Health Initiative (VHI) Fast Facts 
⁶ https://www.cdc.gov/features/healthyvision/

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SOURCE Allergan plc

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