Lotus Blossom Consulting Teams Up With Ferring Pharmaceuticals To Offer Affordable Access To Infertility Treatment

CHICAGO, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Lotus Blossom Consulting, LLC, which helps individuals coping with infertility achieve their family building goals, today announced it will offer its clients access to the HEART (Helping Expand Access to Reproductive Therapy) program, sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The program offers qualified infertility patients up to 25 percent of the medication used in an average treatment cycle free of charge, a cost-savings worth $250.

"Infertility treatment can be costly and many insurance companies do not provide full coverage," said Olivier Delannoy, vice president, Infertility Business Unit, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. "We are delighted to partner with Lotus Blossom Consulting to offer patients our cost-saving program which gives them greater access to the medication they need. Through the HEART program, we can help patients reduce the financial strain incurred on the path to parenthood."

"With Ferring's generous contribution, we can further help couples who are undergoing infertility treatment achieve their dream of becoming parents by helping alleviate some of the financial pressure associated with the treatment process," said Mindy Berkson, founder and managing director of Lotus Blossom Consulting. "Our goal is to provide professional assistance and support to couples who are facing the challenges associated with infertility."

About the HEART Program

The HEART program provides patients with up-front cost savings so they can have affordable access to their medication.* Once the patient receives the HEART sticker through her physician or Lotus Blossom Consulting, she places it on a BRAVELLE(R) (urofollitropin for injection, purified) prescription of 20 vials or more and then takes it to a participating pharmacy which will dispense five free vials of BRAVELLE (a 25 percent savings worth $250). With the use of the HEART Program, BRAVELLE is the least expensive gonadotropin available.

About BRAVELLE

BRAVELLE is a highly purified, human-derived follicle-stimulating hormone (hFSH) for the treatment of infertility. BRAVELLE, in conjunction with hCG, is indicated for ovulation induction following pituitary suppression. BRAVELLE, like all gonadotropins, is a potent substance capable of causing mild to severe adverse reactions, including OHSS (incidence of 6.0%), with or without pulmonary or vascular complications, in women undergoing therapy for infertility. Like other products for ovarian stimulation, treatment with BRAVELLE may result in multiple gestations.

About Lotus Blossom Consulting

Lotus Blossom Consulting, LLC is a concierge service for people undergoing fertility treatment. Balancing hope with caution, the Company develops an individualized, comprehensive plan for each client to address each client's specific physical, emotional, and financial infertility challenges and help clients explore the range of options available to achieve their family- building goal. With extensive experience working with infertility professionals on a national and international level, the consultants empower patients with the information and resources necessary to allow them to make informed decisions. The mission of Lotus Blossom Consulting is to enrich the lives of people they touch.

About Mindy Berkson, Founder of Lotus Blossom Consulting

Mindy Berkson has more than a decade of experience in the infertility field. In her personal battle with secondary infertility, Berkson has worked in several capacities at both physicians' offices and egg donor and surrogacy agencies. As an in vitro fertilization (IVF) coordinator, she guided hundreds of intended parents through the stressful demands of the infertility process, providing professional and compassionate assistance in dealing with the emotional barriers of third-party reproduction.

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Ferring Pharmaceuticals is part of the Ferring Group, a privately owned, international pharmaceutical company. The Company markets BRAVELLE(R) (urofollitropin for injection, purified), MENOPUR(R) (menotropins for injection, USP), REPRONEX(R) (menotropins for injection, USP) and NOVAREL(R) (chorionic gonadotropin for injection, USP) in the U.S. to infertility specialists and their patients, and EUFLEXXA(TM) (highly purified hyaluronan) for patients with pain from knee osteoarthritis.

Other products include ACTHREL(R) (corticorelin ovine triflutate for injection) for the differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome and generic DESMOPRESSIN ACETATE in injectable and rhinal tube forms for the treatment of diabetes insipidus and primary nocturnal enuresis.

The Ferring Group specializes in the research, development and commercialization of compounds in general and pediatric endocrinology, urology, gastroenterology, obstetrics/gynecology and infertility. For more information, call 888-FERRING, or visit http://www.ferringusa.com/ or http://www.ferringfertility.com/.

Please contact Andrea Preston for full BRAVELLE prescribing information.

*The HEART program is available to cash-paying patients.