Dysport aka Reloxin

Move Over Botox, Make Room for Reloxin? Botox Cosmetic twin may offer age-defying sect a new choice for wrinkle relief.

It seems as though Botox Cosmetic has a twin (or a first cousin at the very least). While you may not have heard of Reloxin just yet, you probably will soon enough, as enthusiasm for this rival wrinkle relaxer is almost palpable among those in the know. At a recent conference of the American Academy of Dermatology, Reloxin had almost all participants abuzz with anticipation and excitement.

That's why DERMAdoctor wanted to be among the first to introduce it to consumers looking to turn back the hands of time. It is currently marketed and sold in over 60 countries under the trade name Dysport for various therapeutic indications such as cervical dystonia (a relatively rare disorder in which the head twists and turns into abnormal postures as a result of painful, uncontrollable muscular contraction) and is approved in nine countries for cosmetic uses.

Like Botox Cosmetic, Dysport/Reloxin is an injectable form of botulinum toxin Type A. Just like Botox Cosmetic, small doses of the toxin are injected into targeted wrinkle-causing muscles preventing the muscle from contracting and effectively reducing the wrinkle's appearance. Reloxin has similar properties and lasts about as long as Botox Cosmetic, which can be anywhere from four to six months.

While much is still hush-hush about Reloxin's expected approval date for cosmetic use in the US as well as its potential cost, "the clinical trials are on time, and we are where we would expect to be," a spokesperson for Inamed tells DERMAdoctor. "We hope it will be another option, and we believe it's at least as effective as Botox Cosmetic, and will have at least the same duration and efficacy." Inamed, a Santa Barbara, CA based Company, has rights to gain regulatory approval and market the product for cosmetic indications in the United States, Canada and Japan.

One leading New York City dermatologist, Bruce E. Katz, MD, director of the JUVA skin and Laser Center in New York City, has tried Reloxin/Dysport in both Brazil and Europe. "It's pretty much exactly like Botox Cosmetic," he tells DERMAdoctor. "It lasts just as long and has no other side effects," he says. Potential side effects of Botox Cosmetic include local numbness, swelling, bruising or a burning sensation during injection, according to the American Society of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). ASAPS is the leading professional organization of plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery who specialize in aesthetic (cosmetic) plastic surgery. Some patients have also reported temporary headache and nausea. Still, most complications do not last long and can be avoided with proper injection techniques.

Like Botox Cosmetic, there is no downtime with the new agent. "You can go back to work," he says. To avoid any pain upon injection, "most doctors apply a topical anesthetic so you don't feel very much and are more comfortable," he explains.

One possible benefit of the new wrinkle relaxer, he suggests, is that it may be more cost effective than Botox Cosmetic (although it is a bit too early in the game to know for sure). Inamed has made no decisions on pricing. "It is probably more cost effective than botox because you can dilute it into twice the volume," Katz says. For example, "if you dilute one vial of botox, you get 1 cc, whereas with Dysport, the dilution makes 2 ccs, so you have twice the amount to use," he says.

"Hopefully, it will also drive the costs of Botox Cosmetic down because its competition," he says. According to ASAPS, the average cost of botox in 2004 was $387 per procedure.

One thing is clear, Americans can't get enough of their Botox Cosmetic. In 2004, just under 3 million such injections of Botox Cosmetic (up 25 percent from 2003!) worked their magic on crow's feet, frown lines and forehead furrows on faces across the nation making it one of the top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures of 2004, ASAPS reports.

A small percentage of people who try Botox Cosmetic are reported to experience no improvement at all, according to ASAPS. "People who have tried Botox Cosmetic and have not received the optimal benefit because it didn't last very long can try this to see if it lasts longer," says Katz.

In a press release, another skin specialist, Michael S. Escobedo, M.D., medical director of LazrSmooth Studios in Austin, Texas, lauds the new wrinkle relaxer.

"I am excited to introduce Reloxin to the state-of-the-art procedures and services offered at my practice in an effort to combat the devastating signs of facial aging, and to give clients a choice between Botox Cosmetic or Reloxin," he says.

Can't wait for approval or perhaps a little phobic of injections?

Denise Mann
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer
www.dermadoctor.com