Study shows the drug works faster and has lingering effects

Mar 17, 2009 12:10 GMT  ·  By

At the moment, Botox is the only FDA approved drug in the US as regards treatment for the improvement of wrinkles, but that may change soon enough, as researchers are readying to release Reloxin on the market. Extremely efficient with moderate-to-severe frown lines, Reloxin could be a better option to Botox, as a new study published in the March / April issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery reveals.

According to WebMD, the drug is up for FDA consideration this year – in April, if everything goes according to schedule. Thorough tests and studies have shown that it’s more efficient than Botox when used for frown lines and with effects that last a bit longer, which would poise it as the ideal candidate for literally sweeping off all competition in terms of anti-aging products.

Just like Botox, Reloxin is also a form of Clostridium botulinum toxin type A, which eliminates wrinkles by restricting the muscle action that causes them. The most recent study, performed on 1,200 adult women over a period of 13 months, indicates that improvements become noticeable as early as the seventh day of the treatment. At the same time, on the 30th, researchers saw fewer frown lines in 80%-91% of the women injected with the new drug.

Of course, Reloxin also comes with its side-effects, but they have not been that significant as to have stopped the women from taking the treatment, according to the aforementioned source. Among the most common ones, “events at the injection site, nervous system disorders such as headache, and eye events, including drooping eyelids or eyebrows” can be taken into account, the publication reports. As of now, no allergic reactions with the drug have been noted, which, again, speaks in favor of it getting the FDA approval as early as possible.

On the bright side, side-effects seem to decrease in time as the treatment continues, researchers note in their study. “[There have been no signs of] cumulative safety issues after more than 4,000 treatments with Reloxin,” they pinpoint, adding that multiple treatments can yield effects lasting over a year.