botulinum toxin type A

Synonyms

BOTOX-A, botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A), Botulinum Toxin Type B (BTX-B), Clostridium botulinum, Dysport.

Background

Botox® is a drug that is injected under the surface of the skin to treat several medical disorders related to muscle spasms, muscle tightness and over activity of some glands in the body and is also used cosmetically to treat facial lines and wrinkles. In the United Kingdom and other areas outside of the United States, Botox® is known as Dysport.

The drug Botox® is also known as botulinum toxin, one of the most poisonous naturally occurring chemicals in the world. Botulinum toxin is a protein made by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. As a drug, botulinum toxin is given in very small amounts, so that nerves around the area of the injection can not receive certain chemical signals.

Clostridium botulinum first appeared in scientific literature in the late 1800s as the bacterial cause of the disease botulism. In 1944, scientists isolated botulinum toxin from Clostridium botulinum. In 1949, the protein was identified as a toxin that blocks messages from the nervous system to the muscles. The first investigational use of the protein in humans under the name botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) occurred to treat cross eyes in 1989.

In 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved botulinum toxin type A, now renamed as the drug Botox®, for the treatment of frown lines between the eyes (also called glabellar lines). Since 2002, the drug has also been approved for the treatment of excessive underarm sweating (also called axillary hyperhydrosis), cervical dysplasia (a type of neck spasm), eyelid spasms (also called blepharospasm), and cross eyes (also called strabismus).

Investigational and off-label uses of Botox® include overactive bladder, Parkinson's disease, temporomandibular joint disorder, and excessive salvation. Other cosmetic uses are also under investigation.

Botox® is a drug that is injected under the surface of the skin to treat several medical disorders related to muscle spasms, muscle tightness and over activity of some glands in the body and is also used cosmetically to treat facial lines and wrinkles. In the United Kingdom and other areas outside of the United States, Botox® is known as Dysport.

The drug Botox® is also known as botulinum toxin, one of the most poisonous naturally occurring chemicals in the world. Botulinum toxin is a protein made by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. As a drug, botulinum toxin is given in very small amounts, so that nerves around the area of the injection can not receive certain chemical signals.

Clostridium botulinum first appeared in scientific literature in the late 1800s as the bacterial cause of the disease botulism. In 1944, scientists isolated botulinum toxin from Clostridium botulinum. In 1949, the protein was identified as a toxin that blocks messages from the nervous system to the muscles. The first investigational use of the protein in humans under the name botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) occurred to treat cross eyes in 1989.

In 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved botulinum toxin type A, now renamed as the drug Botox®, for the treatment of frown lines between the eyes (also called glabellar lines). Since 2002, the drug has also been approved for the treatment of excessive underarm sweating (also called axillary hyperhydrosis), cervical dysplasia (a type of neck spasm), eyelid spasms (also called blepharospasm), and cross eyes (also called strabismus).

Investigational and off-label uses of Botox® include overactive bladder, Parkinson's disease, temporomandibular joint disorder, and excessive salvation. Other cosmetic uses are also under investigation.

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