Botox, the flagship drug of Irvine-based Allergan Inc., may face competition sooner than expected.
Beaufor Ipsen SA, a French drug maker, signed a preliminary pact Tuesday with Inamed Corp. of Santa Barbara to market Ipsen’s Dysport drug for muscle disorders and as a wrinkle reducer.
The pact covers Europe and other areas but doesn’t include North America and Japan, according to Ipsen. The company has exclusive rights to seek regulatory approval for cosmetic uses in North America and Japan.
Dysport already is sold in 67 countries as a treatment for motor disorders and other forms of muscular spasticity.
Ipsen is seeking regulatory approval of the drug for cosmetic uses in the U.S. If it gains approval, it will be sold under the name of Reloxin here.
Final third-phase U.S. clinical trials are under way for the drug, Ipsen said.
Allergan hasn’t expressed a great deal of fear over the looming competition, pointing to Botox’s 15-year history and market dominance.
“It will be hard for any competitor to kind of overcome the familiarity that the physicians have with the product and the safety record,” said Caroline Van Hove, an Allergan spokeswoman, last year.
