Obagi Medical Products Launches The First Complete Therapeutic Prescription-Based Skin Care System To Treat And Manage Rosacea

Main Category: Dermatology
Article Date: 21 Jan 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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Rosacea is a very common skin condition, affecting more than 14 million Americans. Products prescribed in the treatment of rosacea represent a $137 million market, despite the lack of a topical treatment proven to effectively treat the symptoms of the disease, primarily redness and flushing.1 Now Obagi Medical Products, Inc. (Nasdaq:OMPI), a leader in topical aesthetic and therapeutic skin health systems, offers a new option for people living with rosacea - The Obagi® Rosaclear™ System. It is the first and only complete prescription-based system developed specifically for treating the signs and symptoms of rosacea. The all-in-one system is designed to effectively reduce redness and flushing, along with treating papules and pustules, to help rosacea patients achieve a clearer, calmer and more balanced-looking complexion. The Rosaclear System will be available through physicians beginning in January and will be promoted by Obagi's dermatology and medical aesthetics sales forces.

"Rosacea is a highly visible disease that can have a significant impact, both emotionally and physically," said Mitchel P. Goldman, MD, Founder and Medical Director of La Jolla Spa MD. "Based on the results I have witnessed using this System in my practice, the Rosaclear System will be an exciting addition to our treatment options for rosacea."

In a recent clinical study, 90 percent of subjects showed at least a one grade reduction in the severity of rosacea after just two weeks. Investigators also reported an overall reduction in redness and continued improvement over the four-week study.2

The Rosaclear System incorporates a specially formulated treatment regimen that effectively reduces and minimizes the visible redness and blotchiness associated with rosacea and is also non-comedogenic, so it won't clog pores. Metronidazole Topical Gel USP 0.75%, a prescription medication indicated for the treatment of papules and pustules associated with rosacea, is used in conjunction with select cosmetic-based products to create an effective, comprehensive treatment system. The complementary, non-prescription products help to reduce visible redness by incorporating calming agents such as licorice, aloe, lavender and sea whip to soothe the skin, along with light-reflecting minerals to balance the appearance of the complexion overall.

"At Obagi, we strive to provide innovative products to skin care professionals that improve the overall skin health of their patients," said Steven Carlson, Chief Executive Officer of Obagi Medical Products. "The launch of our Rosaclear System provides physicians with a highly effective option for treating rosacea and exemplifies Obagi's commitment to providing the most complete aesthetic and therapeutic skin care systems and products."

About Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin condition characterized by a reddening of the cheeks, nose, chin and/or forehead. It may also include the appearance of acne-like pimples. Since rosacea causes facial redness, it is easily confused with other skin conditions, such as acne and sunburn. For this reason, rosacea is known as the "great pretender," and often is incorrectly referred to as "adult acne." 3

It affects more than 14 million Americans. Adults, especially those between 30 and 50 years of age who have lighter skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, are most likely to suffer from rosacea; however, rosacea can affect children and people of any skin type.3 While rosacea can affect both men and women, it's nearly three times more common in women.

About The Obagi Rosaclear System

The Rosaclear System is specially formulated to calm inflamed, irritated skin. It is the only complete therapeutic prescription-based rosacea system that treats the symptoms while protecting your skin and reducing the appearance of redness and blotchiness. Also, the treatment regimen is non-comedogenic, so it treats rosacea while not clogging pores. The three-product system will sell to physicians for $75.00, with an MSRP of $150.00. Elements of the system include:

- Gentle Cleanser - soothes the skin while removing bacteria and other irritating residues

- Metronidazole Topical Gel USP, 0.75% - available by prescription only, the gel is indicated for the treatment of inflammatory acne-like pimples often experienced with rosacea

- Hydrating Complexion Corrector - utilizes calming agents to protect and moisturize the skin, while the light-reflecting minerals reduce the appearance of redness

Obagi also offers The Rosaclear System Skin Balancing Sun Protection SPF 30, a non- comedogenic, chemical-free, tinted UVA/UVB sunscreen, which easily blends with your skin to help reduce the appearance of redness and blotchiness. This sunscreen is sold separately.

About Obagi Medical Products, Inc.

Obagi Medical Products develops and commercializes skin health products for the dermatology, plastic surgery, and related aesthetic markets. Using its Penetrating Therapeutics™ technologies, Obagi Medical's products are designed to improve penetration of agents across the skin barrier for common and visible skin conditions in adult skin including chloasma, melasma, senile lentigines, acne vulgaris and sun damage. The history of Obagi's skin care product introductions is as follows: Obagi Nu-Derm®, 1988; Obagi-C® Rx (the first and only prescription-strength vitamin C and hydroquinone system), 2004; Obagi® Professional-C (a line of highly stable vitamin C serums), 2005; Obagi® Condition and Enhance for use with cosmetic procedures to enhance patient outcomes and satisfaction, 2006; Obagi ELASTIderm™ eye treatment and Obagi CLENZIderm® M.D. acne therapeutic systems, 2007; a formulation of Obagi CLENZIderm® M.D. Systems for normal to dry skin, June 2007; and Obagi ELASTIderm™ Décolletage System, January 2008 and SoluCLENZ Rx Gel™ for the pharmacy channel in August 2008.

http://www.obagi.com

Forward Looking Statements

There are forward-looking statements contained herein, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "potential," "anticipates," "plans," or "intends" and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from the future results, events or developments indicated in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to possibility that the launch of new products such as the Rosaclear System will be unsuccessful. the intense competition our products face and will face in the future, the level of market acceptance of our products, the possibility that our products could be rendered obsolete by technological or medical advances, the possibility that we may become involved in intellectual property claims and litigation that could adversely affect the profitability of or our ability to sell our products, the possibility that our products may cause undesirable side effects and the fact that our ability to commercially distribute our products may be significantly harmed if the regulatory environment governing our products changes. A more detailed discussion of these and other factors that could affect results is contained in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that the future results covered by the forward-looking statements will be achieved. All information in this press release is as of the date of this press release and Obagi Medical Products does not intend to update this information.

References

1 IMS Health, 2007
2 Data on file.
3 The American Academy of Dermatology

Obagi Medical Products, Inc.