NewHope Bariatrics Surgeon Honored for 1,000th LAP-BAND(R) Procedure for Surgical...

NewHope Bariatrics Surgeon Honored for 1,000th LAP-BAND(R) Procedure for Surgical Weight Loss

Patients Treated Experience Long-Term Weight Loss and Improved
Health
KANSAS CITY, Kan.--(Business Wire)--
NewHope Bariatrics announced today that the Medical Director of
the NewHope Bariatrics Surgery Center, Stephen Malley, M.D., has
performed his 1,000th LAP-BAND(R) System procedure - the safest, least
invasive surgery available to treat severe obesity. Dr. Malley will be
honored for his achievements in the field of bariatric surgery on
Saturday at a private event in Kansas City.

"I've made a life-long commitment to provide the best treatment
options to my patients," said Dr. Malley. "It is rewarding to help the
seriously overweight patient population in the greater Kansas City
area lose dangerous excess weight and lead healthier, happier lives."

The LAP-BAND(R) System is one of the only weight-loss surgical
options that can be performed in an outpatient surgery center. The
procedure is performed laparoscopically, typically in less than one
hour, and patients return home the same day. It is also the only
reversible weight-loss surgery. The LAP-BAND(R) System procedure is
significantly safer than the gastric bypass, which requires the
cutting and stapling of the stomach and intestines, and has a
mortality rate of 1 in 200.(i)

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. According to
the fourth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in
America, 2007 report from the Trust for America's Health, adult
obesity rates over the past year rose in 31 states, including Kansas,
which was ranked as the 27th highest rate of adult obesity at 24.3
percent. Obesity can lead to serious health consequences, including
type 2 diabetes and even premature death.

Data strongly supports surgical treatment as a superior option for
weight loss in severely obese patients and as a means to help control
comorbidities associated with excess weight like Type 2 diabetes and
hypertension.(ii,iii)

NewHope Bariatrics and Dr. Stephen Malley offer a comprehensive
program beginning with extensive education, pre-surgical consultation
and financial counseling, and continuing through aftercare programs
focused on long-term clinical support and access to a community of
patients and health-care professionals. The entire program is designed
to help people achieve their weight loss goals and improve their
quality of life.

One of the most experienced bariatric surgeons in the Midwest, Dr.
Malley also serves as a LAP-BAND(R) surgical proctor for Allergan,
Inc. (NYSE: AGN), the product's manufacturer, teaching other surgeons
how to perform this laparoscopic procedure.

The NewHope Bariatrics Obesity Surgery Center is located at 10787
Nall Avenue, Suite 100, Overland Park, Kansas. Free educational
seminars are offered to the public. To register or to find out more
information, please call 1-877-NEW-HOPE (1-877-639-4673) or visit
www.newhopetoday.com.

NewHope Bariatrics (Charlotte, N.C.) develops and operates
ambulatory surgery centers and short-stay surgical hospitals in
partnership with highly regarded bariatric surgeons that serve the
needs of the seriously overweight. The NewHope Bariatric Centers focus
on adjustable gastric banding procedures (primarily the LAP-BAND(R)
System), delivering compassionate care, excellent clinical results,
and superior patient satisfaction ratings. For more information, visit
www.newhopebariatrics.com.

(i) Chapman A, Game P, O'Brien P, Maddern G, Kiroff G, Foster B,
Ham J. Executive summary: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for
the treatment of obesity: Update and re-appraisal. Australian Safety
and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures-Surgical
(ASERNIP-S) Report No. 31, Second Edition. Adelaide, South Australia:
ASERNIP-S, June 2002. (Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding
surgery, like the LAP-BAND(R) surgery, is associated with a mean
short-term mortality rate of around 0.05% compared to 0.50% for
Gastric Bypass and 0.31% for Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.)

(ii) Shekelle PG, Morton SC, Maglione M, Suttorp M, Tu W, Li Z,
Maggard M, Mojica WA, Shugarman L, Solomon V. Pharmacological and
Surgical Treatment of Obesity., Evidence Report/Technology Assessment
No. 103. (Prepared by the Southern California-RAND Evidence-based
Practice Center, under Contract No. 290-02-0003.) AHRQ Publication No.
04-E028-1. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
July 2004.

(iii) Muscelli E, Mingrone G, Camastra S et al. Differential
effect of weight loss on insulin resistance in surgically treated
obese patients. Am J Med 2005; 118: 51-7.

NewHope Bariatrics
Dennis Kelly, 704-246-0700
Chief Operating Officer
dennis.kelly@newhopebariatrics.com

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