Tuesday June 9, 7:30 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Life Medical Sciences Announces Retail Distribution
Order For CLINICEL By Genovese Drug Store Chain
Includes 132 Stores in New York City and Suburbs
EDISON, N.J.--(BW HealthWire)--June 9, 1998--Life Medical Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq NM:
CHAI - news) Tuesday announced that it has received an initial stocking order from New
York-based Genovese Drug Stores for the company's CLINICEL(TM) silicone gel-filled cushions,
which are designed to provide comfortable, topical therapy for problem scars.
According to the announcement by Life Medical Sciences President and Chief Executive Officer
Robert P. Hickey, Genovese, a 132-store chain servicing New York City and suburban markets,
plans to feature CLINICEL in a special pharmacy countertop display in each of its stores.
According to a recent trade publication, the emerging scar treatment market is expected to grow to
more than $150 million annually during the next five to ten years.
CLINICEL scar treatment products, which retail between $60 and $100, are designed to improve
the appearance and enhance the comfort of scars from surgery or other skin trauma, including cuts,
burns, keloids and cystic acne, by applying the unique silicone gel-filled cushions over the
traumatized site. Federal government data indicate that more than 60 million new scars are created
each year, including 25 million from surgical procedures.
Life Medical Sciences launched CLINICEL in May through an aggressive media campaign targeted
at women in such journals as Cosmopolitan, Essence and Redbook. The campaign seeks to create
awareness among the millions of people dealing with problem scars of the clinically demonstrated
healing achieved with the CLINICEL cushions. Similar ads are directed at medical professionals and
retail trade buyers.
Hickey commented: ''The results to date from consumers generated by the CLINICEL advertising
campaign have been significant, both in terms of the number of callers and sales generated from initial
calls.
''Initial consumer calls have resulted in more than 3,000 orders for CLINICEL cushions and
ancillary products since the launch one month ago,'' he said, ''and have generated a number of
inquiries from retail buyers. The fact that these orders have come by telephone as a direct consumer
response to our advertising is encouraging, especially since we are now beginning to augment our
marketing campaign by entering retail chain stores. As we continue our aggressive advertising
program, we have begun discussions with numerous chain retail outlets nationwide to place the
product line into their stores and anticipate additional CLINICEL orders from other chain stores
during the next several months.
''In addition to shipping the initial orders,'' Hickey said, ''we have already mailed more than 10,000
CLINICEL information packages as a response to inquiries by consumers, medical professionals
and retail buyers. While we are very pleased with the impressive start of the CLINICEL marketing
program,'' he continued, ''it is too early to determine the significance of its contribution to the
company's bottom line in fiscal 1998. This is primarily due to the moderating effect of associated
product launch expenses, ongoing advertising and promotional expenses and uncertainty of the
extent of market penetration through the balance of the year.''
The effectiveness of CLINICEL was demonstrated in a clinical study published in the April 1998
edition of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the peer review journal for plastic
surgeons. |
