Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

[Way OT]: If you have wrinkles you’d like to eliminate, this may be the ticket:

[The company which makes Restylane is MRX. There is an FDA panel for Restylane and a competing drug on 11/21 (Thursday).]

http://www.nypost.com/cgi-bin/printfriendly.pl

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November 18, 2003 -- LAUGH lines, crow's feet and thinning lips will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to injectable fillers such as collagen that magically plump up problem spots.

But while collagen carries the risk of an allergic reaction and only lasts about three to six months, Restylane, which is currently awaiting expected FDA approval, is the latest and reportedly greatest of these wrinkle removers.

"Restylane has been used on over a million patients around the world with relatively few problems," says Dr. Alan M. Engler, a board certified plastic surgeon who wrote the book on the subject, "Restylane: The Definitive Guide to the Miraculous New Antiwrinkle Treatment."

Restylane is so good, says Dr. Robin Ashinoff, director of dermatologic surgery at NYU Medical Center, it has replaced collagen as the filler of choice in Europe and Canada, where it's currently available.

"It will be a great addition" to the line-erasing arsenal, she says.

WHAT IT IS: Restylane is made up of hyaluronic acid, a natural sugar normally found in the skin. It's been developed in a laboratory and formulated into a clear, injectable gel.

HOW IT WORKS: First, it plumps up creases in the skin, and the molecules in the hyaluronic acid gel retain water, adding to its volume. As the gel starts to get absorbed by your body, the remaining molecules hold onto even more water, keeping the area filled out longer.

TARGET AREAS: Restylane works when placed deep in the skin, making it ideal for plumping up lips and minimizing facial lines and folds such as the nasolabial (laugh lines) and marionette wrinkles (from the corners of the mouth down to the chin).

"No one product is best for the entire face," says Engler. "Although some doctors are using Restylane for other lines in the face, such as the furrow between the brows, I prefer to use other treatments such as Botox."

PROS: The injections take about 15 to 30 minutes, and the effects last six to 12 months - about twice as long as the gold-standard collagen. Unlike bovine collagen, which may cause an allergic reaction (such as redness or itching) because it's derived from cows, Restylane is not an animal product and is touted as nonallergenic.

It's also a temporary filler (compared to permanent injectables such as Artecoll), so if the treatment doesn't come out perfectly, the results are only short-term.

CONS: Restylane doesn't come with lidocaine (a numbing agent) already in it as collagen does, and a thicker needle is used, which makes for more painful injections.

You can ask your doctor to apply a topical anesthetic before the procedure, and there is more post-procedure, temporary swelling and redness than with other fillers. As with all injectables, there's a risk of bleeding, bruising and lumpiness.

COST: $750 to $1,500 per treatment.
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