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Sara Costin

TAZORAC® Patient

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Medical Dermatology

Facing the world is not always easy for patients suffering from serious skin disorders. Dedicated to meeting the needs of these patients and their physicians, Allergan has developed some of the most technologically advanced dermatology products to treat skin disease as well as enhance the appearance of healthy skin.

According to the National Institutes of Health, between 5.8 and 7.5 million American suffer from psoriasis1, which is a chronic skin disorder than can take many different forms. An estimated 80 percent of all people between the ages of 11 and 30 have acne outbreaks at some point.2 Our dermatology portfolio includes TAZORAC® (tazarotene), the first topical receptor selective retinoid approved for psoriasis and acne.

Another common chronic condition affecting an estimated 7.8 million Americans is hyperhidrosis, which is the term for excessive sweating.3 Patients with hyperhidrosis produce an amount of sweat that far exceeds that needed to regulate body temperature. Our medical dermatology portfolio includes BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) for severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive underarm sweating) that is not adequately managed by topical agents.

Important Information about TAZORAC® 
Important Information about BOTOX® 

 

Indications

BOTOX® is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used:

  • to treat leakage of urine (incontinence) in adults with overactive bladder due to neurologic disease who still have leakage or experience too many side effects after trying an anticholinergic medication in people 18 years and older
  • to prevent headaches in adults with chronic migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting 4 or more hours each day in people 18 years or older
  • to treat increased muscle stiffness in elbow, wrist, and finger muscles in people 18 years and older with upper limb spasticity
  • to treat the abnormal head position and neck pain that happens with cervical dystonia (CD) in people 16 years and older
  • to treat certain types of eye muscle problems (strabismus) or abnormal spasm of the eyelids (blepharospasm) in people 12 years and older
BOTOX® is also injected into the skin to treat the symptoms of severe underarm sweating (severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis) when medicines used on the skin (topical) do not work well enough in people 18 years and older.

It is not known whether BOTOX® is safe or effective to prevent headaches in patients with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days each month (episodic migraine).

It is not known whether BOTOX® is safe or effective to treat increased stiffness in upper-limb muscles other than those in the elbow, wrist, and fingers, or to treat increased stiffness in lower-limb muscles. BOTOX® has not been shown to help people perform task-specific functions with their upper limbs or increase movement in joints that are permanently fixed in position by stiff muscles. Treatment with BOTOX® is not meant to replace your existing physical therapy or other rehabilitation that your doctor may have prescribed.

It is not known whether BOTOX® is safe or effective for severe sweating anywhere other than your armpits.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

BOTOX® may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX®:

  • Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre-existing before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months
  • Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms including: loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice (dysphonia), trouble saying words clearly (dysarthria), loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities
There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect away from the injection site when BOTOX® has been used at the recommended dose to treat chronic migraine, severe underarm sweating, blepharospasm, or strabismus.

Do not take BOTOX® if you: are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX® (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA) or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.

Do not take BOTOX® for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you: have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing.

The dose of BOTOX® is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.

Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported. These reactions include itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you experience any such symptoms; further injection of BOTOX® should be discontinued.

Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including severe dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and respiratory compromise (difficulty breathing) from typical doses of BOTOX®.

Tell your doctor if you have any breathing-related problems. Your doctor will want to monitor you for any breathing problems during your treatment with BOTOX® for upper limb spasticity or for detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition. The risk of pulmonary effects in patients with compromised respiratory status is increased in patients receiving BOTOX®.

Cornea problems have been reported. Cornea (surface of the eye) problems have been reported in some people receiving BOTOX® for their blepharospasm, especially in people with certain nerve disorders. BOTOX® may cause the eyelids to blink less, which could lead to the surface of the eye being exposed to air more than is usual. Tell your doctor if you experience any problems with your eyes while receiving BOTOX®. Your doctor may treat your eyes with drops, ointments, contact lenses, or with an eye patch.

Bleeding behind the eye has been reported. Bleeding behind the eyeball has been reported in some people receiving BOTOX® for their strabismus. Tell your doctor if you notice any new visual problems while receiving BOTOX®.

Bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections (common colds) have been reported. Bronchitis was reported more frequently in people receiving BOTOX® for their upper limb spasticity. Upper respiratory infections (common colds) were also reported more frequently in people with prior breathing-related problems.

Autonomic Dysreflexia and Urinary Retention in Patients Treated for Detrusor Overactivity Associated With a Neurologic Condition
Autonomic dysreflexia associated with intradetrusor injections of BOTOX® could occur in patients treated for detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition and may require prompt medical therapy. In clinical trials, the incidence of autonomic dysreflexia was greater in patients treated with BOTOX® 200 Units compared with placebo (1.5% versus 0.4%, respectively).

In clinical trials, 30.6% of patients (33/108) who were not using clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) prior to injection, required catheterization for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX® 200 Units as compared to 6.7% of patients (7/104) treated with placebo. The median duration of post-injection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX® 200 Units (n=108) was 289 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 530 days) as compared to a median duration 358 days (minimum 2 days to maximum 379 days) for patients receiving placebo (n=104).

Among patients not using CIC at baseline, those with MS were more likely to require CIC post-injection than those with SCI.

Due to the risk of urinary retention, only patients who are willing and/or able to initiate catheterization post-treatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.

In patients who are not catheterizing, post-void residual (PVR) urine volume should be assessed within 2 weeks post-treatment and periodically as medically appropriate up to 12 weeks. Catheterization should be instituted if PVR urine volume exceeds 200 mL and continued until PVR falls below 200 mL. Patients should be instructed to contact their physician if they experience difficulty in voiding as catheterization may be required.

Human albumin and spread of viral diseases. BOTOX® contains albumin, a protein component of human blood. The potential risk of spreading viral diseases (eg, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD]) via human serum albumin is extremely rare. No cases of viral diseases or CJD have ever been reported in association with human serum albumin.

Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you: have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; weakness of forehead muscles, such as trouble raising your eyebrows; drooping eyelids; any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) and are being treated for urinary incontinence. Symptoms of a urinary tract infection may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever; have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX® can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed (it is not known if BOTOX® passes into breast milk).

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Using BOTOX® with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX® in the past.

Especially tell your doctor if you: have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (be sure your doctor knows exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take anti-platelets (aspirin-like products) or anti-coagulants (blood thinners).

Other side effects of BOTOX® include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, and eye problems: double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes; urinary tract infection and/or inability to empty your bladder on your own (in people being treated for urinary incontinence).

For more information refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see BOTOX® full Product Information including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.



  1. National Psoriasis Foundation Web site. "About Psoriasis: Statistics." Available at http://www.psoriasis.org/about/stats/index.php. Accessed November 13, 2007.

  2. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. National Institutes of Health. What is acne? Fast facts: an easy-to-read series of publications for the public. Available at: http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/acne/default.asp#acne_d. Accessed May 29, 2007.

  3. American Academy of Dermatology. Press Release: Effective treatments mean excessive sweating patients no longer swimming in anxiety. February 9, 2004.