Botox Alternative ‘Reloxin’ Could Get FDA Approval This Year

The latest issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery includes the results of a new study of the wrinkle relaxer, Reloxin.  Doctors evaluated the long-term safety of Reloxin for repeated use in moderate to severe forehead wrinkles over the course of thirteen months.

Medicis Pharmaceutical expects to receive FDA approval for Reloxin later this year.  This could bring the first real Botox competitor to the U.S. market – a market which allowed Allergan Inc. to net $1.3 billion in revenue last year.

A Los Angeles dermatologist who participated in the study commented to Bloomberg news, saying “the side effects are the same as Botox” and “many of our patients liked it even better.”

Both Reloxin and Botox are composed of a particular botulinum toxin that has been proven to relax the muscles that cause wrinkles in the face.

While Reloxin has been sold outside the US for over 15 years under the name Dysport, Botox has still managed to claim over 80 percent of the worldwide market for the neurotoxin.  One market analyst speculates that “Reloxin may be priced 15 percent lower than Botox” which could allow it to take a significant share of the market.