Alere®, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (NYSE: IMA) announced a strategic business collaboration that will combine the strength of recently acquired Free & Clear, Inc., the industry leader in tobacco cessation coaching, with the extraordinary brand recognition of the American Cancer Society. The collaboration will more efficiently and effectively help tobacco users nationwide access evidence-based tobacco cessation services. The combination of the former American Cancer Society Quitline service with Free & Clear's commercially offered Quit for Life Program will provide a single best-in-class, telephone-based coaching and Web-based learning support service to tobacco users who want to quit.
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The organizations will co-brand and jointly promote tobacco cessation services by offering the Quit for Life Program to tobacco users through employers, health plans and state public health agencies. Under the terms of the collaboration, Free & Clear will apply 25 years of industry leading operational expertise and clinical experience to handle all cessation service delivery, promotional support, account management and reporting. The American Cancer Society will continue to build broad public awareness of the scientific relationship between tobacco use and chronic disease, while also actively promoting the cessation coaching service.
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"Alere's focus on personal health support begins with helping people change risky behaviors. This collaboration creates a powerful new force in the fight against tobacco use, one of the most prevalent unhealthy behaviors leading to cancer, debilitating chronic disease and early death," said Ron Geraty, CEO of Alere. "This alliance truly sets our health management programs apart from all others, enabling our customers to offer a program considered the gold standard in the industry to their employees."
"For decades, the American Cancer Society has been leading the fight to reduce tobacco use and limit secondhand smoke exposure," said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., CEO of the American Cancer Society. "And we're so proud that for the past nine years our own Quitline service has allowed us to directly help more than 500,000 smokers try and quit. After an extensive evaluation of our business model and the costs associated with maintaining a leadership position in a competitive marketplace, we recognized that collaborating with the industry leader Free & Clear would enable us to provide even more leadership and maximize resources. Through this collaboration, we can invest more in our complementary efforts to save lives and create a world with more birthdays by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures and fighting back."
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
About Alere
Alere (www.alere.com) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (www.invernessmedical.com) (NYSE: IMA). Alere, a Latin verb, meaning "to care for" or "to support", offers the most patient-centered health management services available from a single provider in the industry. Alere® services provide health interventions that are designed for the entire lifespan from pre-cradle (high-risk pregnancy and NICU management) to end-of-life care (complex care) as well as the continuum of health from wellness (health and productivity programs) and prevention to total health management of the individual for those having various chronic illnesses.
About Free & Clear
Free & Clear, Inc., an Alere company, is a healthy behaviors company that specializes in phone-based cognitive behavioral coaching and web-based learning to help employers, health plans and government agencies measurably improve the overall health and productivity of their workforces. Free & Clear's evidence-based programs address modifiable health risks that contribute to chronic disease, tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and stress. More than 50 million people have access to the Free & Clear Quit for Life® Program, the nation's leading tobacco cessation program, which has had its proof of effectiveness published in multiple peer-reviewed, scientific journals over the course of 25 years. The Mind & Body(TM) Program has been developed by nationally recognized experts and is based on the most up-to-date, clinically proven science available on weight management and obesity prevention. Free & Clear is based in Seattle, Washington. More information about Free & Clear can be found at www.freeclear.com.
© 2009 Inverness Medical. All rights reserved. Alere is a trademark of the Inverness Medical group of companies. Quit For Life and Mind & Body are trademarks of Free & Clear. Quitline is a trademark of the American Cancer Society.
-- Collaboration will help tobacco users nationwide access evidence-based tobacco cessation services -- American Cancer Society's Quitline® service to be combined with Free & Clear's commercially offered Quit for Life® Program -- Combination of services to provide a single best-in-class, telephone-based coaching and Web-based learning support service
SOURCE Alere, LLC
