Santa Barbara Medical Innovations Signs Deal in Excess of $500 Million With Erchonia Medical for ZERONA(TM) Laser Rights

SANTA BARBARA, CA--(Marketwire - May 04, 2009) -

Santa Barbara Medical Innovations (SBMI), a company dedicated to bringing innovative, safe, and effective healthcare products to market, today announced the acquisition of exclusive rights to market the ZERONA™ in North America. ZERONA™ is a new, non-invasive, painless body slimming device scientifically proven to result in an average of 3.5 inches lost from patients' waist, hips and thighs.

"Our partnership with Santa Barbara Medical Innovations will significantly strengthen our position in the North American market," said Steve Shanks, President of Erchonia. "We believe SBMI sees the value in our revolutionary technology and their strategic approach complements our vision and long-range plans."

"This agreement allows us access to break-through technology and leverages our ability to reach physicians and consumers alike to redefine the non-invasive procedure marketplace. ZERONA™ will not just be a part of the market segment, it will capture a whole new client base and represents hundreds of millions of dollars in incremental services," said Chip Conk, CEO of Santa Barbara Medical Innovations. "Partnering with Erchonia to market ZERONA exclusively represents not only a meaningful milestone for our company and investors, but also reinforces our commitment in bringing proven, innovative health products to market. We will also be rolling out a proprietary 'Service Use' model that will allow physicians access to the innovative technology for their patients without having to incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in upfront costs."

"SBMI will manage the sales, distribution, and marketing of the ZERONA™ laser to physicians in key markets throughout North America and will market the ZERONA™ innovative technology through multiple vehicles, including direct mail, advertising, public relations, and consumer promotions," explained Rowland Hanson, President of The HMC Company, business development consultant to Erchonia and board member of SBMI. "Even though the initial response has been dramatic, the plan for the first year is to limit distribution so that we can manage the roll-out properly."

Unlike invasive weight loss surgery, ZERONA is a revolutionary method that is applied externally without the dangers associated with surgery, while at the same time allowing patients to remain active during treatment. The simple procedure consists of six 40-minute treatments over a two-week period. It has been featured on dozens of news programs and publications, most recently on the national CBS daytime television show "The Doctors."

SBMI will place ZERONA with physicians in key markets throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. To be considered for this limited distribution or for more general information, please contact Joellyn Conk at joellyn@sbmi.com or visit www.myzerona.com. For ZERONA marketing and distribution rights consideration outside of North America, please contact Rowland Hanson at rhanson@theHMCcompany.com

About Santa Barbara Medical Innovations (SBMI)

SBMI is dedicated to bringing proven, innovative health and wellness products that are safe and effective to market.

SBMI is the exclusive U.S. distributor of ZERONA Non-Invasive Body Slimming System. To learn more about ZERONA, visit www.myZerona.com.

About Erchonia

Erchonia is the global leader in low-level laser healthcare applications. For the past 15 years Erchonia has been conducting research & development with the world's leading physicians to advance the science of low level lasers. Prior to market introduction, all Erchonia lasers are proven to be safe and effective through independent clinical trials. Currently thousands of Erchonia's lasers are used daily to reduce body fat, eliminate pain, accelerate healing, and treat acne.

For additional information, visit www.erchonia.com.

About The HMC Company

The HMC Company is a leading business development and strategic communications consulting firm with clients in a wide range of industries. From Microsoft to Starbucks to Eli Lilly, the founders of The HMC Company played key roles in the explosive growth of these global companies.

For additional information, visit www.theHMCcompany.com


Contact:
Kat Calbes/Melissa Barto
BLAZE
310-395-5050
kcalbes@blazepr.com/mbarto@blazepr.com

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