{"id":6831,"date":"2010-05-19T12:28:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-19T12:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pharma-mkting.com\/will-250000-morbidity-obese-people-sign\/"},"modified":"2019-02-21T01:21:50","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T01:21:50","slug":"will-250000-morbidity-obese-people-sign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ec2-54-175-84-28.compute-1.amazonaws.com\/pharma-mkting.com\/blog\/will-250000-morbidity-obese-people-sign\/","title":{"rendered":"Will 250,000 Morbidly Obese People Sign Allergan’s Petition to Congress?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Be heard!”, says Allergan. “The voices of 250,000 can influence the dialogue on the obesity epidemic and help shape policies that can make a real difference in our efforts to reduce the obesity epidemic.”<\/p>\n

That’s the pitch of Allergan’s new “social media” “C.H.O.I.C.E.<\/a>” (“Choosing Health over Obesity Inspiring Change through Empowerment”) campaign, a core element of which is a petition to Congress to propose “legislation for obesity treatment and weight-loss surgery options like adjustable gastric banding for the morbidly obese.”<\/p>\n

The petition is really an ad for weight-loss surgery. It states:<\/p>\n

“Weight-loss surgery has been proven more effective than diet and exercise alone in people 100 pounds or more overweight \u2013 and it’s the only treatment proven to be effective long-term … With less invasive procedures available (like gastric banding), weight-loss surgery has the potential to be a catalyst for change in the health of our citizens and the financial stability of our healthcare system.”<\/p>\n

Allergan doesn’t have to include fair balance in the petition, because it doesn’t mention its particular brand of “gastric banding” (ie, LAP-BAND). <\/p>\n

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\nThis “social media” campaign includes a Facebook page<\/a> and a Twitter account (@choicecampaign<\/a>). I joined the “cause” on Facebook and am now following @choicecampaign.<\/p>\n

LAP-BAND patients can also enter a contest by submitting videos to the Voice My C.H.O.I.C.E. contest program. Winners will get an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to be rolled out in front of cameras lobbying Congress for ” increased attention” to surgery. Since contestants must already have had the procedure performed, I assume they will be “showcases” for how effective the surgery is.<\/p>\n

Allergan’s stated goal is to get 250,000 morbidly obese people (defined as being 100 or more pounds overweight) to “sign” its petition. Although I do not qualify as one of the “estimated” 15 million people in the US who are morbidly obese, I signed the petition and checked off the following options:<\/p>\n