Medical Education Symposium to Highlight Inamed's LAP-BAND System, the Only Adjustable, Minimally Invasive Treatment for Morbid Obesity.

Business Editors

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2002

Inamed Corporation (Nasdaq: IMDC):

-- Coronary Artery Disease

-- Diabetes

-- Stroke

-- Hypertension

-- Sleep Apnea

-- Cancer

-- Respiratory Problems

-- Osteoarthritis

Inamed Corporation (Nasdaq: IMDC), a global medical device company, today announced that a medical education symposium highlighting the use of the LAP-BAND(R) Adjustable Gastric Banding System, the only adjustable, minimally invasive surgical treatment for morbid obesity, will be conducted this week during the annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). The Company also announced that an additional 45 surgeons successfully completed a two-day certified training workshop on the use and support of the LAP-BAND System, developed and marketed by BioEnterics(R), a division of Inamed Corporation.

The LAP-BAND training workshop was concurrently held March 7-9 at the Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (Bronx, NY), University of Louisville--Norton Hospital (Louisville, KY) and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Weston, FL) with televised live surgeries and presentations among the three sites.

"The LAP-BAND System is revolutionary," said Jeff Allen, M.D. of the University of Louisville--Norton Hospital and workshop faculty. "It eliminates the stapling used in weight-loss surgery and is an adjustable alternative for the obese patient. The ability for the LAP-BAND to be placed laparoscopically through four tiny incisions, each less than 2-cm, coupled with a hospital stay of less than 24 hours, makes the LAP-BAND the surgical option for weight-loss."

Other faculty included: Prof. George Fielding, M.D. (Wesley Medical Center, Brisbane, Australia), Prof. Paul O'Brien, M.D. (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia), Christine Ren, M.D. (New York University Medical Center, New York), Raul Rosenthal, M.D. (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Weston, FL), Natan Zundel, M.D. (Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, Columbia) and Walter Lindstrom, Esq. (Obesity Law and Advocacy, San Diego, CA).

"Our commitment to advancing the adoption of a less traumatic, healthier and long-term weight-loss treatment requires providing effective training programs," said Jim McCollum, General Manager of BioEnterics, a division of Inamed Corporation. "Our goal is to deliver both the innovative technology solutions as well as the forum to transfer surgical knowledge to the increasing number of surgeons interested in offering this new adjustable therapy to their patients. Nine additional LAP-BAND training courses are planned throughout 2002, with more added as needed to accommodate surgeon demand. We are on target to meet our estimate of 250 surgeons trained since FDA approval in June 2001," added Mr. McCollum.

BioEnterics, a division of Inamed Corporation, will host a corporate symposium entitled "Innovation, Support and Long-term Experience: A Review of the LAP-BAND System" during the annual SAGES meeting. The event will be held at the New York Hilton and Towers on Thursday, March 14, 2002, beginning at 5:30 p.m. (EST).

The symposium features a distinguished panel of surgeons chaired by Prof. Paul O'Brien, M.D., who is one of the world's foremost experts on obesity surgery with more than 1000 LAP-BAND procedures performed to date. Among other topics, the panel will discuss their clinical experience with the LAP-BAND System and the future of obesity treatments.

The LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System is an innovative and patient-preferred surgical approach to treating the significant and widespread medical problem of obesity. It provides surgeons and patients with a minimally invasive intervention designed to help severely or morbidly obese patients lose weight. The procedure is adjustable and reversible, and does not require cutting or stapling of the stomach, or gastrointestinal re-routing to bypass normal digestion. Patient benefits include reduced surgical trauma, complications, pain and scarring, as well as shorter hospitalization and recovery time as compared to alternate obesity surgeries.

Severe obesity is a degenerative and debilitating disease. The National Institute of Health reports that obesity substantially raises the risk of morbidity and mortality from:

-- Coronary Artery Disease

-- Diabetes

-- Stroke

-- Hypertension

-- Sleep Apnea

-- Cancer

-- Respiratory Problems

-- Osteoarthritis

This substantial increase in health risks has made obesity the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the American Obesity Association, obese individuals have a 50-100% increased risk of death as compared to normal weight individuals, with 300,000 to 587,000 deaths each year. Because many people who lose weight by dieting regain the weight, surgical procedures have evolved to help morbidly obese people improve their chances of permanent weight loss. The American Obesity Association states that obesity-related costs exceed $200 billion per year in the United States.

About Inamed Corporation

Inamed is a global medical device company engaged in the development, manufacturing and marketing of products for breast and facial aesthetics and obesity intervention. Inamed markets a diverse line of products to enhance patients' quality of life. These products include the highest-quality breast implants for aesthetic augmentation and reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy; a range of dermal products to correct facial wrinkles and to improve lip definition; and the innovative LAP-BAND(R) and BIB(R) systems used to treat both severe and moderate obesity. The FDA-cleared and CE-marked LAP-BAND System is marketed worldwide by the BioEnterics Division of Inamed Corporation. The Company's Web site is www.inamedcorp.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current estimates and expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ or differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Inamed is providing this information as of March 11, 2002 and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in this press release. For a full discussion of the risks and uncertainties, please refer to recent SEC filings made by the Company including, without limitation, the Company's annual report on SEC form 10-K for fiscal 2000.