General Description
Look years younger in just minutes . . . with BOTOX® injections.
Now FDA approved, BOTOX® Cosmetic is a unique aesthetic treatment to temporarily improve the appearance of glabellar lines by targeting the muscles that cause them. BOTOX® Cosmetic is minimally invasive and localized, and no recuperation time is required. Reference: BOTOX® Cosmetic [package insert]. Irvine, CA: Allergan, Inc; 2002
BOTOX® Cosmetic is indicated for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines associated with corrugator and/or procerus muscle activity in adult patients 65 years of age or less.
Reference: Data on file, Allergan.
In clinical studies, 82% of people saw an improvement after a week—89% of people saw results after 30 days.
Press Release
ALLERGAN’S BOTOX® COSMETIC RECEIVES APPROVAL BY THE FDA FOR THE TREATMENT OF GLABELLAR LINES (BROW FURROW)
New Cosmetic Indication Underscores Product’s Versatility
(Irvine, CA, April 15, 2002) – Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to BOTOX® COSMETIC (botulinum toxin type A) for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines in adult men and women 65 years of age or younger. The approval specifically applies to the vertical lines between the eyebrows. In conjunction with this approval, BOTOX® will be marketed for this use under the name BOTOX® COSMETIC with dosing specific to treat frown lines.
"The FDA’s approval is an important corporate accomplishment. Our successful clinical work shows that BOTOX® COSMETIC is safe and effective for this aesthetic use," commented Lester J. Kaplan, PhD, Allergan’s President of Research and Development and Global BOTOX®. "Along with the previous approvals in the U.S. for BOTOX® in the treatment of certain neurological disorders, this new indication firmly establishes the versatility of the product."
Neurological disorders for which BOTOX® therapy is currently approved in the U.S. include treatment of strabismus (crossed eyes), blepharospasm (uncontrollable blinking), and head position and neck pain associated with cervical dystonia (a movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions).
Most brow furrow lines are formed by excessive contraction of the 2 major muscles in the forehead, the corrugator and procerus muscles. BOTOX® COSMETIC works to relax these muscles by blocking nerve impulses that trigger wrinkle-causing muscle contractions, creating a smoothed and improved appearance between the brows. Administered in a few tiny injections of purified protein, this minimally invasive treatment is simple and quick and delivers dramatic results with minimal discomfort. Results can be seen as early as 24 to 48 hours and the effect lasts up to 4 months.
"BOTOX® COSMETIC treatments are one of the few procedures we do that result in high patient satisfaction within a short period of time. In fact, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) 2001 Statistics on Cosmetic Surgery listed BOTOX® COSMETIC injections as the fastest growing cosmetic treatment performed by surgeons in the U.S. BOTOX® COSMETIC treatments have increased 46% since 2000 and were rated #1 among the 8.5 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2001," said Dr. Roberta D. Sengelmann, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology and Otolaryngology at Washington University in St. Louis. "I have treated hundreds of patients with BOTOX® COSMETIC and the response from my patients has been overwhelmingly positive. Patients come to me saying they are often perceived by their friends, families, and colleagues as angry, stressed, or worried due to the unwanted expressions from the lines between the brows. Within a few days after a BOTOX® COSMETIC treatment, patients look more refreshed and natural."
Jennifer J. Luner, a 49-year-old business consultant, says that before she tried a BOTOX® COSMETIC treatment, her friends and colleagues often thought she was upset or worried, even if she wasn’t. "After the treatment, my friends told me I looked so much more refreshed and approachable."
The 12-month, repeated-treatment study consisted of a 4-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled period that evaluated 537 patients (BOTOX® COSMETIC: n = 405; placebo: n = 132) for efficacy, followed by an 8-month, open-label period evaluating safety with 373 patients continuing from the first period. In the first period, the maximum response rate occurred at day 30, with investigators rating 80.2% of the subjects treated with BOTOX® COSMETIC versus 3.0% of those subjects treated with placebo as responders to therapy as assessed by reduction in the severity of glabellar lines at maximum frown. A significant improvement in brow furrow appearance as rated by the subject’s self-assessment also occurred in 89.4% of those treated with BOTOX® COSMETIC versus 6.8% of the placebo group.
In clinical trials of BOTOX® COSMETIC, the most frequently reported adverse events were headache (13.3% of those treated with BOTOX® COSMETIC vs 17.7% of those treated with placebo), respiratory infection (3.5% vs 3.8% with placebo), blepharoptosis or temporary eyelid droop (3.2% vs 0% with placebo), nausea (3.0% vs 2.3% with placebo), and flu syndrome (2.0% vs 1.5% with placebo). Less frequently occurring adverse reactions included pain in the face, erythema (redness) at the injection site, and muscle weakness. These events are thought to be associated with the injection and occurred within the first week. BOTOX® COSMETIC should not be used in the presence of infection at the proposed injection site(s).
Allergan’s BOTOX® product is the only one of its type with over 10 years of successful clinical experience in therapeutic conditions. In 1989, BOTOX® therapy was approved in the U.S. for the treatment of strabismus and blepharospasm and, in December 2000, for the treatment of abnormal head position and neck pain associated with cervical dystonia. BOTOX® COSMETIC was previously approved in Canada in April 2001 for the treatment of glabellar lines.
BOTOX® therapy is approved in 70 countries for a broad range of conditions, and is currently being investigated in the U.S. for the treatment of many different medical conditions including hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), post-stroke spasticity, back
spasm, and headache.
Full prescribing information for both BOTOX® and BOTOX® COSMETIC is available at www.botox.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements", such as statements regarding the effectiveness of BOTOX® and its potential uses. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from Allergan’s expectations and projections. Risks and uncertainties include general industry and pharmaceutical market conditions; general domestic and international economic conditions, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product marketing such as the unpredictability of market acceptance for new pharmaceutical and biologic products and/or acceptance of new indications for such products; potential difficulties in manufacturing a new product formulation; domestic and foreign health care reforms; trends toward managed care and health care cost containment; and governmental laws and regulations affecting domestic and foreign operations. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors can be found in press releases issued by Allergan as well as Allergan’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the discussion under the heading "Certain Factors and Trends Affecting Business" in Allergan’s 2001 Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001. Copies of Allergan press releases and additional information about Allergan are available on the World Wide Web at www.allergan.com, or you can contact the Allergan Investor Relations Department by calling (714) 246-4636.
About Allergan, Inc.
Allergan, Inc., with headquarters in Irvine, California, is a technology-driven, global health care company providing eye care and specialty pharmaceutical products worldwide. Allergan develops and commercializes products in the eye care pharmaceutical, ophthalmic surgical device, over-the-counter contact lens care, neurological and dermatological markets that deliver value to our customers, satisfy unmet medical needs, and improve patients’ lives.
Allergan Contacts:
Jim Hindman (714) 246-4636 (investors)
Suki Shattuck (714) 246-5621 (investors/media)
Christine Cassiano (714) 246-5134 (media)
Botox Effective in Treating Upper Eyelid Retraction Associated with Thyroid Eye Disease
June 5, 2002 (San Francisco)
Botulinum toxin (botox) injection is an easily-administered and effective treatment for correcting upper eyelid retraction associated with thyroid eye disease, and causes few side effects in patients. These are the conclusions of a study appearing in the June issue of Ophthalmology, the clinical journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Eye M.D. Association. In this study, 11 patients with exposed whites of the eyes associated with thyroid eye disease received botox injections in the upper eyelids. All patients had some improvement in eyelid retraction after the injections. The degree of lid lowering varied among the patients and lasted between one and 40 months. Lid position was acceptable to 10 of the 11 patients.Academy spokesperson, Monica L. Monica, MD, said, "As this study shows, botox has useful ophthalmic medical uses, as well as the better known cosmetic use in elimination of facial wrinkles. The method of injection used in this study appears to avoid some of the eye alignment problems associated with surgical problems. However, further controlled studies will be necessary to corroborate these promising results."
*The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons-Eye M.D.s-with more than 27,000 members worldwide. Reporter Contact: Media Relations at 415.561.8534 or media@aao.org. Please Note: Media relations staff are unable to answer inquiries from the general public. If you want more information on eye health, please visit our partner website at http://www.medem.com/physfinder. If you want to find an Eye MD (ophthalmologist) in your area, please use our Find an Eye MD feature.
—From the June Issue of Ophthalmology
By Lori Baker Schena, Contributing Writer
Edited By Brian A. Francis, MD
Botulinum Toxin Injection Effective for Graves' Ophthalmopathy
Botulinum toxin type A injections using a subconjunctival approach may be more effective than previously reported in the treatment of upper eyelid retraction associated with thyroid eye disease (Graves' ophthalmopathy), according to a study by Uddin and Davies.
Eleven patients with superior scleral exposure associated with thyroid eye disease underwent one or more treatments with injections of Botox into the subconjunctival space at the superior margin of the tarsal plate.
All patients developed some improvement in the amount of lid retraction after the injections, with the effect lasting from one to 40 months.
Results fell into three broad categories:
- Attainment of lid position, below or at the limbus, lasting six months or more with one or two treatments (six lids of five patients);
- Attainment of lid position, below or at the limbus, lasting six months or more with four treatments (five lids in three patients) and
- Improvement in lid position, but inability to maintain lid position at or below the limbus (five lids in three patients).
The researchers conclude that subconjunctival Botox injection is an effective treatment alternative for eyelid retraction associated with thyroid eye disease. It is easy to administer and well tolerated by patients, with few side effects.
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