New Competitor for Botox?

The Allergan Company’s BOTOX® may soon have a new competitor.  Johnson & Johnson is introducing a similar product next year. Since BOTOX® was approved by the FDA in 2002 for cosmetic use, smaller drug companies have not been able to compete with Allergan’s amount of sales. Allergan is a name known and trusted by many, and of course, people are reluctant to switch from a product they are familiar with. Even Dysport® took a while to be picked up on the market, because patients preferred the brand name of BOTOX®. The company that produces Dysport®, another favored comparable product, had to go through a long court battle with Allergan just to get their product on the market. But this is all history.

Now that Johnson & Johnson’s clinical trials of the new product are completed, they expect to market it to the Food and Drug Administration in early 2014. The botulinum product’s name has not been announced yet, and it has not been tested against the iconic BOTOX®. However, Johnson & Johnson is hoping that it tests as longer lasting, and of course, as safe and effective as BOTOX®. We will see. A lot more testing needs to be done to make that claim! Most likely the product will be released in foreign markets that just recently have seen a growth in cosmetic surgery, or where the Allergan product is not as entrenched, such as China and South America.

BOTOX® and Dysport® are provided at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center. In fact, BOTOX® is one of the most popular non invasive treatments we provide. We trust Allergan’s BOTOX®; it is a good product that has been around a decade. It’s hard to beat that track record! We’ll see if this new product gives BOTOX® a run for its money.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda, my Patient/Surgery Coordinator to set up your consultation. 501 227-0707