A new anti-wrinkle drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, marking a turn in facial injection treatments that could rival Botox injections.
The anti-wrinkle injection Daxxify from drug maker Revance Therapeutics was shown in studies to temporarily improve moderate to severe frown lines nearly twice as long as its competition Botox, the company said.
Daxxify can provide wrinkle improvements for about six months, according to Revance. Botox traditional improves worry lines for about three to four months, the Daily Mail reported.
Daxxify works by acting as a neuromuscular blocking agent, similar to Botox, which freezes the muscles to prevent wrinkles from appearing. Unlike its rivals, Daxxify uses peptides for formula stabilization instead of animal or human proteins.
In clinical trials of the drug, the company said more than 2,700 patients participated with “safe and well-tolerated results” as no serious adverse events were reported from its use. Over 4,200 injections were performed for the study.
The average effects from the Daxxify injection lasted six months, with some participants seeing results that lasted as long as nine months.
While the FDA has approved the drug for use, it did warn that the injection’s effects could spread to other areas of the body or cause general muscle weakness or breathing difficulties, as is the case with toxin-based treatments.
Common side effects reported during clinical trials, according to Revance, included headaches and eyelid ptosis – where the upper eyelid droops over the eye after the injection- and facial paresis or muscle weakness in the face.
With the facial injectables market estimated at $3.2 billion, Daxxify could alter the industry, offering what the company said was “long-lasting results and high patient satisfaction” as fewer injections would be needed each year compared to competitor injections.
It was unclear at the time of writing what the price of a Daxxify injection would cost, but Revance did say that it had plans to introduce the drug to the U.S. through high-volume injectors in select areas before it was introduced commercially.
Botox typically costs between $250 and $500 per injection per treatment area, the Daily Mail said. Botox injections have been around since 1989 in the U.S., with sales reaching $4.7 billion each year, according to the news outlet.
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