Allergan halts Lap-Band sales to 1-800-GET-THIN clinics
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Irvine-based Allergan Inc. said it will no longer sell its Lap-Band weight-loss device to companies affiliated with the 1-800-GET-THIN marketing company.
The move comes amid state and federal investigations of surgery centers affiliated with the ad campaign.
Five Southern California patients have died since 2009 following Lap-Band surgeries at clinics affiliated with 1-800-GET-THIN, according to lawsuits, autopsy reports and other public records. The California Department of Insurance is investigating the surgery centers for alleged insurance fraud, said David Althausen, a spokesman for the state agency.
Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said in a statement that the company has “made the decision to presently discontinue the sale of the Lap-Band AP System … to all entities affiliated with 1-800-GET-THIN.”
She declined to elaborate on the company’s decision.
Alexander Robertson, a Westlake Village attorney who has filed several lawsuits against 1-800-GET-THIN and its affiliated surgery centers, applauded Allergan’s decision. His clients include relatives of patients who died following Lap-Band surgeries and former employees who accused the surgery centers of performing unnecessary surgeries and billing insurers for procedures that were not performed.
“Allergan is the only manufacturer of the Lap-Band device. So this means the 1-800-GET-THIN surgery centers may be out of the Lap-Band business,” Robertson said. “Hopefully, it’s going to result in saving lives and preventing further tragic outcomes.”
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