Lifestyle Designer Kathy Ireland, Professional Ballroom Dancer Chelsie Hightower and Style Guide Bobbie Thomas Lead the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge Campaign to Benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation®

IRVINE, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN), the makers of LATISSE® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, announced today the launch of the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge campaign. Inspired by the tradition of blowing on an eyelash to make wishes come true, lifestyle designer Kathy Ireland, professional ballroom dancer Chelsie Hightower and style guide Bobbie Thomas will each lead a team of LATISSE® users from across the country who are challenged to raise more than a quarter of a million dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. LATISSE® solution is the first and only prescription treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grow lashes longer, fuller and darker for those with inadequate or not enough lashes (eyelash hypotrichosis).

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/latisse/43354/

To raise the most funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, each team will call upon consumers to participate in the online campaign by joining their team and donating a minimum of $20. In exchange, the first 10,000 campaign participants who make the minimum donation of $20 will receive a LATISSE® free trial certificate, which they can then take to a doctor to determine if LATISSE® is right for them.

"With approximately 1.5 million bottles sold since launching the product a little more than a year ago, LATISSE® is giving back by helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation grant the wishes of children. Through the campaign, we will double each individual's donation, with a maximum donation of $250,000, through October 31," said Robert Grant, President of Allergan Medical, a division of Allergan, Inc. "With the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge campaign, we look forward to continuing our support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and providing people with the opportunity to see if LATISSE® is right for them."

Those interested in supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation and learning more about LATISSE® can participate in the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge by joining a team at www.LatisseWishesChallenge.com. There, site visitors and LATISSE® users can also upload their personal LATISSE® lash photos documenting their own results before and after treatment.

"Our family has been connected to a family through the Make-A-Wish Foundation for 16 years, and we've seen how this organization changes people's lives," said Ireland. "That's why it's exciting to join Chelsie and Bobbie in the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge campaign. Together with your help, we hope to raise the most money possible."

In addition to supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ireland, Hightower and Thomas are excited to share their experience growing their lashes longer, fuller and darker with LATISSE® solution over the course of the campaign.  

"After a whole season competing on the dance floor and spending hours in the makeup chair, my lashes are weak and broken," said Hightower. "After talking to my doctor, I'm excited to be using LATISSE® and sharing my experience while helping to fulfill the wishes of children nationwide through the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge."

Supporters of the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge can track how much money is being raised by each of the teams and learn more about the wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation by visiting the website. In addition, participants can follow along with LATISSE® users Ireland, Hightower and Thomas and their teams as they share their personal lash experience and results with LATISSE®. Campaign supporters can also stay connected to the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge teams on Twitter @WishesChallenge as well as share their involvement in the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge through Facebook to help generate more support for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"What's wonderful about the LATISSE® Wishes Challenge is that you can give back, while also giving something to yourself," said Thomas. "Join my team to receive a LATISSE® free trial certificate and help us meet the goal of raising more than a quarter of a million dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation."

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 65 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 193,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

About LATISSE®

LATISSE® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03% is a prescription treatment for hypotrichosis used to grow eyelashes longer, fuller and darker. Eyelash hypotrichosis is another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes. The once-daily prescription treatment is applied to the base of the upper eyelashes with a sterile single-use-per-eye disposable applicator. While individual results may vary, LATISSE® users may begin to notice longer lashes at about one month and experience full results in four months. To maintain effect, continued treatment with LATISSE® solution is required, and if use of LATISSE® is discontinued, eyelashes will gradually return to where they were prior to treatment over a period of several weeks to months (average eyelash hair cycle).

Similar to Allergan's other medical aesthetic offerings, the benefits of LATISSE® are derived from scientific evidence, its quality formulation, and medical origin. LATISSE® was clinically tested in a pivotal Phase III, multi-center, double-masked, placebo-controlled study to assess its safety and efficacy in which all endpoints (improved eyelash prominence, length, thickness and darkness) were met. Bimatoprost, the active ingredient in LATISSE®, was first approved in 2001 as a medical product to lower intraocular pressure in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Patients treated with bimatoprost for this specific eye condition experienced eyelash growth as a side effect. Given the existing and substantial clinical and post-marketing safety data with bimatoprost solution 0.03%, coupled with the positive results from the Phase III LATISSE® study, LATISSE® was approved by the FDA in December of 2008.

Important Information about LATISSE®  

Indication:

LATISSE® solution is a prescription treatment for hypotrichosis used to grow eyelashes, making them longer, thicker and darker.

Eyelash hypotrichosis is another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes.

Important Safety Information:

If you are using, or have used, prescription products for any eye pressure problems, only use LATISSE® under close doctor care. Although not seen in LATISSE® clinical studies, may cause increased brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye which is likely permanent. Eyelid skin darkening may occur which may be reversible. Only apply at the base of the upper eyelashes. DO NOT APPLY to the lower eyelid. Hair growth may occur in other skin areas that LATISSE® solution frequently touches. If you develop or experience any eye problems or have eye surgery, consult your doctor immediately about continued use of LATISSE®. The most common side effects after using LATISSE® solution are itchy eyes and/or eye redness. If discontinued, lashes will gradually return to their previous appearance.

For more information on LATISSE®, please see the full prescribing information, available at www.LATISSE.com.  

About Allergan, Inc.

Allergan, Inc. is a multi-specialty health care company established 60 years ago with a commitment to uncover the best of science and develop and deliver innovative and meaningful treatments to help people reach their life's potential. Today, we have more than 8,000 highly dedicated and talented employees living in more than 100 countries, a rich and ever-evolving portfolio of pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices, and state-of-the-art resources in R&D, manufacturing and safety surveillance that help millions of patients see more clearly, move more freely and express themselves more fully. From our beginnings as an eye care company to our focus today on several medical specialties, including ophthalmology, neurosciences, obesity, urologics, medical aesthetics and dermatology, Allergan is proud to celebrate 60 years of medical advances and proud to support the patients and physicians who rely on our products and the employees and communities in which we live and work.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including the statements by Kathy Ireland, Chelsie Hightower, Bobbie Thomas and Robert Grant, and other statements relating to the safety and efficacy of LATISSE®. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from Allergan's expectations and projections. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, general industry and market conditions; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in the research and development and regulatory processes; challenges related to product marketing, such as the unpredictability of market acceptance for new products and/or the acceptance of new indications for such products; inconsistency of treatment results among patients and the potential for product failures; potential difficulties in manufacturing new products; general economic conditions; and governmental laws and regulations affecting domestic and foreign operations. Allergan expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required to do so by law.

Additional information concerning these and other risk factors can be found in press releases issued by Allergan, as well as Allergan's public periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the discussion under the heading "Risk Factors" in Allergan's 2009 Form 10-K and Allergan's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. Copies of Allergan's press releases and additional information about Allergan is available on the World Wide Web at www.allergan.com or you can contact the Allergan Investor Relations Department by calling (714) 246-4636.

© 2010 Allergan, Inc. Irvine, CA 92612. ® marks owned by Allergan, Inc.

Make-A-Wish Foundation, Make-A-Wish and share the power of a wish are the marks of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.

SOURCE Allergan, Inc.

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED