• Allergan Aesthetics is raising the conversation on patient safety and ethical standards
• As part of its established Aesthetics-Ethics program, this year's Anti-Age Medicine World Congress (AMWC) launches Moving the Needle on Ethics Book
• Thought-provoking articles and interviews with leading medical practitioners from around the world discuss the impact of ethical practices and aim to raise awareness and create discussion across the industry

IRVINE, Calif., March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) Company, announces Moving the Needle on Ethics- its collaboration with medical aesthetics experts from around the globe aiming to elevate discussions on ethics in aesthetics. The collection of interviews highlights the need for industry-wide transparency and integrity to meet the expected increase in global demand for aesthetics treatments.

The global medical aesthetics industry is set to grow faster than ever before, with 23 million dermal filler and 14.6 million body procedures predicted by 2025.¹ With the influx of new practitioners and patients, trusted information, and education to ensure high ethical standards is more important than ever.

"We are at a unique moment in the evolution of our industry, and we must ensure that ethics is front and center in our minds and in our clinical practice," says world renowned aesthetic surgeon Dr Mauricio de Maio. "A coordinated effort is needed to reconsider the guiding principles of ethics, ensuring patient safety is prioritized."

Over ninety percent of practitioners (91%) believe those providing medical aesthetic procedures should be guided by ethical standards.² As part of the Aesthetics-Ethics program, Allergan Aesthetics engaged in extensive global research, including global social media listening, insight gathering and face-to-face discussions across the industry in 13 countries³ to better understand the ethical environment and key topics in the industry today and into the future.

Bringing together industry voices to discuss ethics

Based on the research findings, the Moving the Needle on Ethics Book further examines the ethical landscape of aesthetic medicine and elevates the role and impact of ethical excellence across a range of scenarios including consultation, social media, training and education, product quality and patient care. The aim is to support patient safety and positive outcomes.

"The goal of this research is to raise the subject of ethics in aesthetics to a new, more transparent level by sharing data from those who participate in it every day," says Carrie Strom, President, Global Allergan Aesthetics. "Recognizing that ethics plays a key role in aesthetics and elevating that conversation is critical for the success of this growing, healthy market and delivering safe aesthetic outcomes for patients."

An industry fit for the future

Allergan Aesthetics is raising the conversation on patient safety and ethical standards. Discussion on the industry's current ethical landscape identified areas of focus and opportunities to better support patients and practitioners and create an appropriate standard of care. 

To drive words into action, Allergan Medical Institute (AMI) implemented an early injectors training program on ethics. Beginning in 2024, aesthetic practitioners will receive training on the key Aesthetic Medicine ethics principles.⁴ AMI expects to add this training module to its core curriculum and expand educational offerings on ethics to practitioners of all experience levels.

Allergan Aesthetics is also committed to continuing to develop patient-focused educational programs that look to address patients' needs and concerns.

With the launch of this initiative at AMWC 2024 in Monaco on the Allergan Aesthetics booth K2 (Ravel Floor) and more to follow in 2024, Allergan Aesthetics' Aesthetics-Ethics program is 'moving the needle on ethics' to shape an aesthetics industry fit for the future.

Join us at the cutting-edge of aesthetics ethics. Learn more about Moving the Needle on Ethics and download your copy of the book here.

Notes to editors
The Moving the Needle on Ethics Book includes the following articles:

Dr Jonquille Chantrey - Defining Your Ethical Compass: The Psychology of Ethics
Dr Cara McDonald - Ethics Beyond Regulations
Dr Hytham Jamjoom - Recognising the Importance of Patient Education
Dr Marcel Vinicius - Right Product, Right Patient, Right Time
Dr Marva Safa - Communicating Effectively with Younger Patients
Dr Kavita Mariwalla - Demonstrating Integrity on Social Media
Dr Shannon Humphrey - Successfully Consulting with Patients
Dr Sophie Shotter - Supporting Public Healthcare Systems to Manage Aesthetic Complications
Dr Zhang Yuguang - The Ethical Influence of China's Authentic Alliance
Dr Kiyoko Kato - Enhancing Aesthetic Education for Healthcare Practitioners

About Allergan Aesthetics

At Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, we develop, manufacture, and market a portfolio of leading aesthetics brands and products. Our aesthetics portfolio includes facial injectables, body contouring, plastics, skin care, and more. Our goal is to consistently provide our customers with innovation, education, exceptional service, and a commitment to excellence, all with a personal touch. For more information, visit www.allerganaesthetics.com

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

Footnotes:
*         An AbbVie company