ReShape Lifesciences’ Weight-Loss Portfolio Aligned with CDC’s COVID-19 Updates

Individuals suffering from obesity with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher now identified for increased risk with COVID-19

LAP-BAND® and ReShapeCare™ both available for a BMI of 30 or higher, helping patients lose weight and keep it off

SAN CLEMENTE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 13, 2020 / ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (OTCQB:RSLS), the weight-loss company, today highlighted how the company’s portfolio of minimally invasive weight-loss products and continuum of care services indicated for 30 or higher body mass index (BMI) directly align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recent update of at-risk obesity conditions for severe illness with COVID-19.[i]

According to the CDC’s update, having obesity, defined as a BMI of 30 or above, increases a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19.ⁱ The CDC’s recognition of this lowered BMI level and list of underlying medical conditions that increase a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19 is a significant difference from the previously identified at-risk condition of severe obesity, measured as BMI of 40 or higher.[ii] The change in BMI level effectively expands three-fold the population of Americans who are at increased risk with COVID-19, adding an additional 54 million people[iii] to a total obese patient population estimated at 78 million.ⁱⁱⁱ

“The effects of COVID-19 on patients with obesity are severe,” commented Michael Baptista, MD, head of Florida Surgical Physicians in Jacksonville, Florida and affiliated with the Bariatric Center of Excellence Memorial Hospital Jacksonville, one of the leading bariatric surgery facilities in the U.S. “Obesity is one of the most common and manageable underlying conditions that increases a person’s risk for severe illness. The LAP-BAND® has been shown to be the safest, quickest recovery option for bariatric surgery that can be done at an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC). With 20 years of clinical data, the LAP-BAND is a safe and effective primary option for patients with life-threatening and life-limiting disease of obesity who want to lose weight and reduce their risks.”

“At ReShape Lifesciences, we have monitored the growing evidence as to how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people with obesity and we believe our portfolio of solutions offers unique life-saving advantages for patients across a range of BMIs seeking to manage and achieve a healthy weight,” said Bart Bandy, CEO and President, ReShape Lifesciences™. “The ability to adjust the LAP-BAND for individual life changes and increased procedural durability offers significant benefits for many people considering a weight-loss procedure, including patients with BMI as low as 30 and women who may be considering pregnancy. Our recently-launched ReShapeCare™ Virtual Health Coaching program is a new telehealth-based service that is reimbursed, or covered by most insurance plans. ReShapeCare has been developed for all medically supervised weight-loss patients, including current and previous patients who have had any bariatric surgery procedure. We believe it is important that everyone working towards their weight loss should be afforded the best opportunity for success.”

The LAP-BAND is the only FDA-approved, reimbursed laparoscopic device indicated for a BMI of 30 or higher in the U.S. Notably, the LAP-BAND is proven to be the safest bariatric procedure available on the market[iv], backed by 20 years of clinical data demonstrating lower complication rates compared to other surgical procedures. The LAP-BAND is proven to provide an average of 46% excess weight loss at one year[v], and if for any reason a LAP-BAND needed to be removed, it is easily reversible. The procedure is typically performed in less than an hour and can be done at an ASC, with patients typically returning home the same day.

Patients interested in learning more:

• Hear from other patients and watch our free online seminar available at LAP-BAND.
• If you are considering pregnancy, see our Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby online brochure for more information and talk with your doctor.
• Find a LAP-BAND Specialist near you with our Surgeon Locator.
• Check out our recently-launched ReShapeCare Virtual Health Coaching – a reimbursable, customizable, virtual weight-management program that focuses on helping patients treat, manage, and improve the chronic, metabolic disease of obesity with physician direction.

Physicians interested in learning more:

• Watch our ReShape Lifesciences Series of Physician-led Webinars:
  • LAP-BAND Myth Buster Webinar – Discuss Myths Around the LAP-BAND & How It is Continuing to Produce Life-changing Results
  • Evidence-Based LAP-BAND Aftercare to Achieve Optimal Outcomes for Patients and Practices
  • The Post COVID-19 Bariatric LAP-BAND Practice – Expanded Patient Access, Ambulatory Surgery Centers & Reimbursed Aftercare
• See how our new ReShapeCare Virtual Health Coaching can improve your practice offering and lead to better patient outcomes.
• To learn more about our ReShape Lifesciences portfolio of products and services, please visit www.reshapelifesciences.com

About ReShape Lifesciences Inc.

ReShape Lifesciences™ is the weight-loss company focused on medical technologies to treat obesity and metabolic diseases. The Company offers products and solutions to meet the needs of surgical and non-surgical weight-loss treatments. The FDA-approved LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System is designed to provide minimally invasive long-term treatment of severe obesity and is an alternative to more invasive surgical stapling procedures such as the gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. The ReShape Vest™ System is an investigational (outside the U.S.), minimally invasive, laparoscopically implanted medical device that wraps around the stomach, emulating the gastric volume reduction effect of conventional weight-loss surgery, and is intended to enable rapid weight loss in obese and morbidly obese patients without permanently changing patient anatomy. The recently launched ReShapeCare™ Virtual Health Coaching is a reimbursable, customizable virtual telehealth weight-management program to help support the lifestyle changes for all weight-loss patients to help them keep the weight off over time.

ReShape Lifesciences supports the journey of all patients seeking significant weight loss. For more information, visit www.reshapelifesciences.com.

Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “may,” “intend,” “will,” “continue,” “future,” other words of similar meaning and the use of future dates. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of our management and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: risks related to the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity; risks and uncertainties related to our acquisition of the LAP-BAND Program; our ability to continue as a going concern if we are unable to improve our operating results or obtain additional financing; risks related to ownership of our securities as a result of our delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market; our proposed ReShape Vest product may not be successfully developed and commercialized; our limited history of operations; our losses since inception and for the foreseeable future; the competitive industry in which we operate; our dependence on third parties to initiate and perform our clinical trials; the need to obtain regulatory approval for our ReShape Vest and any modifications to our LAP-BAND Program; physician adoption of our products; our ability to obtain third party coding, coverage or payment levels; ongoing regulatory compliance; our dependence on third party manufacturers and suppliers; the successful development of our sales and marketing capabilities; our ability to raise additional capital when needed; international commercialization and operation; our ability to attract and retain management and other personnel and to manage our growth effectively; potential product liability claims; the cost and management time of operating a public company; potential healthcare fraud and abuse claims; healthcare legislative reform; and our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our technology and products. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those factors identified as “risk factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K filed April 30, 2020. We are providing this information as of the date of this press release and do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACTS:

ReShape Lifesciences Investor Contact:

Thomas Stankovich
Chief Financial Officer
949-276-6042
ir@ReShapeLifesci.com

ReShape Lifesciences Marketing Contact:

Diane Utzman-O’Neill
Sr. Director Consumer Brand Marketing
952-460-0171
dutzman-oneill@reshapelifesci.com

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