Silicone gel-filled breast implants have been among the most controversial medical devices for many years.  In 1992, 30 years after first entering the U.S. marketplace, the FDA called for a voluntary moratorium on the implants amid concerns about their safety.  Inamed, now Allergan, Inc., one of two breast implant manufacturers, embarked on a rigorous scientific program to ensure the implants’ safety and bring them back to market.

At the end of 2006, science prevailed and the government decided to end its 14-year virtual ban on silicone-gel filled breast implants by granting Allergan FDA approval for use in augmentation, reconstruction and revision surgery. MS&L's global healthcare team successfully managed one of the most emotionally-charged, unique and controversial health stories of 2006.

Our primary objective for this approval announcement was to leverage Allergan’s commitment to scientific innovation, customer focus and patient quality of life to navigate a controversial approval while at the same time conditioning the environment for a successful product launch.  We generated more than 365 million media impressions in national broadcast and print media, the majority of which contained key positive messages for the product and company.

In addition to measuring the campaign’s success with standard media metrics, we wanted to measure whether or not the program had moved the needle in terms of the public perception of silicone gel-filled breast implants. Our follow-up survey of 500 American women ages 18 and up showed that favorability toward silicone breast implants for augmentation were more than double among women who had heard about the FDA’s approval, versus those who had not (17% vs. 7%). And favorability toward silicone breast implants for reconstruction was significantly higher among women who had heard about the FDA’s approval, than among those who had not (38% vs. 24%).