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/
CONTACTS:
Media:
Mark Marmur
mark.marmur@allergan.com
+1 (862) 261 7558
Suzanne Jacobson
suzanne.jacobson@allergan.com
+1 (201) 427 8879
Lisa DeFrancesco
investorrelations@allergan.com
+1 (862) 261 7152
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SOURCE Allergan plc