Botox vs. Reloxin

With more and more people tightening their belts recently, some patients are opting for a longer duration between their Botox® appointments or requesting fewer areas be injected to save some money.

For the budget conscience, the FDA may have an answer in a few short months. This spring they are expected to approve a new injectable that could rival Botox® and provide consumers with a less expensive alternative to freezing the hands of time.

The Scottsdale Arizona-based Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation has developed a new botulinum toxin called Reloxin®. It is expected that this injectable could ignite the market with earnings of approximately $300 million to $400 million.

What does this mean for patients? For starters, Reloxin® will cost less per treatment. This direct competition could help drive down the cost of Botox®, allowing both companies to reach more consumers while making a more level playing field. Here’s the catch though – while Reloxin® works in much the same way as Botox®, the results last only half as long. So instead of going for a treatment every six months, you’ll be returning to the doctor every three to four months for another dose of Reloxin®. Still, the gains for the consumer mean less money out-of-pocket at once.

The recommendation for my patients will always be to choose the product that works for you and for your budget.

In the end, a little competition is healthy, and the patients will be the real winners if Reloxin® proves to be as good as it’s claims.

Tags: Anti-Aging Treatments, Botox, cosmetic surgery, FDA, Injectables, Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, Reloxin

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 10:32 am and is filed under Cosmetic Treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.