Allergan Inc., the Irvine maker of Botox and other drugs, is hoping to continue spurring sales of medical cosmetics with its own stimulus package.
“This is our kind of stimulus,” Chief Executive David Pyott said. “This isn’t (President) Obama’s stimulus.”
Allergan has been seeking to boost sales of three products that people pay for out of their own pockets: wrinkle-remover Botox, eyelash growth treatment Latisse and Juvéderm, which is used to smooth out wrinkles on the lower face.
With Latisse, Pyott said he expects continued growth by appealing to younger patients, “ones that are right down into their early 20s.”
Latisse, which was launched in early 2009, accounted for $26 million of Allergan’s $1.2 billion in fourth-quarter sales.
A quarter of Latisse patients are first-time users, according to Pyott.
“That’s been a great stimulator—not just to build a new category, but bringing in new patients,” he said.
With Botox, Allergan’s flagship, the company plans to continue offering a coupon for $50 off the price of an injection.
Allergan also is offering a coupon for Juvéderm injections.
“These were very large face value coupons,” Pyott said. “This isn’t the Pennysaver.”
What Allergan calls its “facial aesthetic” sales—primarily Juvéderm—rose 10.2% to $66 million in the fourth quarter.
Quarterly sales of Botox—for both medical and cosmetic uses—were up 2% to $347.7 million.
Allergan’s also looking to a new formulation of Juvéderm—called Juvéderm XC—that includes lidocaine, a local anesthetic that’s often used in dentistry.
Pyott, 56, said he plans to get a Juvéderm XC injection soon.
“I’ve watched it being injected in Europe and it’s just night and day,” he said. “It’s very comfortable, and of course, it’s quick.”
Juvéderm XC eliminates a separate numbing shot from the procedure, Pyott said.
“The first stick is the one you feel and then, off you go,” he said.
Allergan’s promotion efforts also include a philanthropic public relations campaign with 46-year-old actress Vanessa Williams of “Ugly Betty” and Dress for Success, a nonprofit that helps clothe women transitioning into the workforce.
Radient’s Plan
Radient Pharmaceuticals Corp., a Tustin-based maker of drugs and medical testing products, has submitted a plan to the New York Stock Exchange’s American Stock Exchange in response to a delisting notice issued at the end of December.
Radient operates primarily overseas. Its products include the Onko-Sure cancer test kits and services and Elleuxe, a skincare line.
Customers include stores, hospitals, doctors, clinics and medical laboratories.
Radient said it could raise money through stock sales, an equity line of credit, debt for stock deals and advancing global sales of its products.
If the exchange accepts Radient’s plan, the company would have to achieve compliance by June 23.
Bits and Pieces:
Aliso Viejo drug maker Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. said the Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent for its Zenvia drug candidate that would extend its domestic protection to 2025. Zenvia is being developed to treat uncontrollable episodes of laughing or crying, also known as involuntary emotional expression disorder, or pseudobulbar affect … Patient Care Technology Systems, a Mission Viejo-based maker of emergency room tracking software, said it established a wholly owned subsidiary in Britain, Patient Care Technology Systems Ltd. The unit is set to market software throughout the European Union. Patient is owned by Florida-based Consulier Engineering Inc. … Irvine-based heart device maker Cardiogenesis Corp.’s executive chairman, Paul McCormick, was a presenter at last month’s Stem Cell Summit in New York. The summit focused on challenges in commercializing stem cell products.
