Dysport Soon To Arrive

I don’t know any plastic surgeon who hasn’t been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Dysport (Bausch Health). For years Botox Cosmetic (Allergan, Inc) has had the monopoly on botulinum toxin A.  And because of this they have raised the cost of it to the point where it is almost prohibitive as an adjunctive cosmetic product.

Dysport (Ipsen, Inc.) was developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1990’s for neurological and ophthalmological purposes.  Although it has been referred to as Reloxin in the U.S., Dysport has had over ten years of successful clinical use.  In 2006 Medicis joined with Ipsen to become the distributor of the toxin to the aesthetic community.   In December 2007 Dysport was first submitted to the FDA for approval.  Almost a year and a half later it was finally approved for the treatment of glabellar wrinkles (the same as Botox) but use of the name Reloxin was not granted.  Therefore, it will be marketed as Dysport.

The two products are basically the same.  However, Dysport seems to have a faster onset of action, 1-2 days vs. 3-5 days for Botox.  In addition it may have a slightly larger area of spread giving a more natural look after injection.  I’m excited because monopolies are never good for product prices, just look as the price of gasoline.  I assume the price will be somewhat less than Botox but we will have to wait and see.

Finally, Mentor Corp. has concluded its phase 3 studies on Purtox, their own Botox alternative.  They await FDA approval.  A three way competition may finally help everyone.