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For the last decade or so, Botox has been the most popular anti-wrinkle treatment. But more research has revealed other uses as well, the New York Times reported Sunday.
In addition to treating four problems approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- eye muscle disorders, neck muscle disorders, excessive sweating and eyebrow furrows -- a number of medical journals reported that Botox also alleviates hair loss, drooling, chewing and swallowing problems, and pelvic muscle spasm. The paper quoted Mitchell Brin, a chief scientific officer for Botox at Allergan, the company that makes it, as saying, "As we understand it more, it gives us new ideas of how to use it."
Botox is purified botulinum toxin, a nerve poison normally produced by parasite bacteria in rotten canned food. It was first discovered by San Francisco ophthalmologist Alan Scott in the 1970s for treating crossed eyes. He named it Oculinum and obtained approval from the FDA for treating crossed eyes and twitching eyelids in 1989.
Allergan bought Oculinum and the technology in 1991 and renamed it Botox, and currently has an 83 percent worldwide market share. Global sales last year alone were US$1.3 billion. Allergan currently has over 10 technologies related to Botox, and if it gets additional approval from the FDA, the company predicts that sales of Botox will more than double within five to seven years.
But the FDA postponed approval of a new botulinum toxin called Dysport developed by a British company for treating neck muscle problems last year, saying it will review the safety of botulinum toxins. The New York Times quoted Brin as claiming, "Botox has a long safety track record -- backed by 30 years of favorable research, studies on 11,000 people worldwide and 17 million treatments in the United States since 1994."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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